Make it Stop
by ForeverMakeBelieve
Summary: Tris Prior is in an accident that kills her entire family, leaving her in foster care. Tris now has to balance being abused by her new foster brother Peter along with high school. With all of that, she also developes feelings for her other foster brother, Four. This is my first fanfiction EVER so please review! ENJOY:)
1. Chapter 1

Tris' pov

It's strange how my life changed within a matter of seconds. One second, I'm on my way to volunteer at the animal shelter with my parents and my older brother Caleb, and the next, we're seeing the lights of an eighteen wheeler right in front of us before we collide.

The next thing I know, I'm being put into the foster care system. I've already gone through six foster families. They never like me. They say I'm too or 'closed off' or 'crazy.' The longest I've been at one is two months. I'm apparently a 'trouble child.'

Right now, I'm walking with my case worker Johanna to the house I'll be living in until they put me back into the system. She thinks this family will be the one that adopts me. She says that every time.

I just really hope that this foster home is better than the last ones. I never had any friends or anyone who cared about me. The foster parents just fed me an then watched tv th rest of the time. All of my foster siblings had already made friends and obviously weren't looking for a new one. I just never seemed to fit in anywhere or with anyone. Let's hope that changes.

We arrive at a giant three story brick house. I knock on the door and am greeted with a tall dark girl around my age. Her caramel skin is barely covered with a black crop top and short denim shorts. She's beautiful. Nothing like me.

I will never be anything like her,so tall and gorgeous. I know I'm not ugly, but I'm not pretty either. I have dull blonde hair that falls past my hips and a small, five foot frame with absolutely no curves. My nose is too long and my light gray eyes are far to big. I can't compete with her long legs and mature body.

"Oh my God! You must be Beatrice. I'm Christina! We're going to be sisters," she shouts excitedly. Maybe having her here will make this a little more bearable.

My name sounds strange coming from her lips. Too grown-up and sophisticated. New place, new name.

"Hi. You can call me Tris," I respond shyly.

"Well, why don't we get you inside and you can meet everybody," she says pulling me by the arm into the house.

I finally get a good look at the inside. Hardwood floors, leather furniture, expensive looking art hanging from the walls. Expensive. They must be rich.

We enter the kitchen and I am instantly faced with a tall,light haired man. His green eyes are cold and mean, but soften when he sees my case worker. He introduces himself as Max,not once acknowledging my presence. So far, Christina is the best thing about this place. Obviously Max isn't going be the best of company.

Max finally looks at me acknowledging my presence. Then he looks at Christina. "Why don't you give Beatrice the grand tour and show he where she will be staying."

I already don't like him one bit."It's Tris." He just shrugs and turns back to Johanna, my case worker.

Christina shows me around the house while they talk about my time here. She shows me four bathrooms and six empty bedrooms. Some have clothes in them,telling me that there are more foster kids here. And they are freaking hugenormous. I could fit like Four of my old foster homes in just one room.

I spot a room that must be Christina's. It's pink and zebra and way too girly for me. On the next one, there is a girl on the bed. She has carrot orange hair and a bulbous nose. She's a little on the heavy side and she looks like she is ready to bite my head off. Or anyone's head introduces her as Molly and informs me that she doesn't talk much. Good.

The next bedroom is mine. It has dark blue walls and a deep red bed comforter. It is a little smaller than the rest but is still pretty huge. Way more space than I would ever need. There is a bathroom attached to it and a large flat screen television. It even has posters of my favorite bands:Imagine Dragons and Paramore, hanging on the walls. It's amazing,exactly my style.

The next has a large boy around my age with dark hair and green eyes. He just looks at me with disgust and closes the door in our faces.

"That was Peter. Don't take it personally, he's always an asshole," she tells me nonchalantly. He looks like he already hates me. That's two I'm a row:him and Molly.

I simply nod my head. I don't have the thinking capacity right now to deal with them. I'm more worried about staying here with these new people and going to school tomorrow.

After showing me a game room, some more bathrooms, and a lounge, I finally retire to my new room before dinner.

* * *

After unpacking the clothes and family pictures I brought with me, I jump onto my bed and start reading my copy of The Fault in Our Stars. I've read it at least twenty times; it just never gets old.I am interrupted all too soon by Christina telling me that dinner is ready.

I walk back downstairs and sit at the unreasonably large dining table with Max, Molly, Peter, and Christina. Christina fixes me a plate of salad and pasta. Way too much. I'm not really a fan of food at the moment. I just take a couple of bites and move my food around with my fork. I have gone halfway through dinner getting dirty looks from Max and Peter. I really don't know what I did to make them hate me, but it's making me uncomfortable.

Just as I'm about to excuse myself from the table, the door swings open to reveal three boys. One of them looks around my age, but the others look little older. I immediately assume the two dark boys are brothers. I finally get a good look at the third, and my breathe hitches.

He has dark brown hair and a spare upper lip that compliments his full lower lip. His nose is just a little crooked, like it has been broken before. His shirt enough to reveal his amazing physique and toned muscles, but not tight enough to be showing off. What really draws my attention are his eyes. They are a dark blue as deep as the ocean. A dreaming, sleeping, waiting color. And they are locked directly on mine. I feel like I can't breathe, an then realize that I'm not. I am the first to look away. And I finally take a breath before I pass out from the lack of oxygen.

He's handsome. That's an understatement. He's beautiful. And way out of my league. I can't even see his league from my league.

They walk in and head straight towards the bedrooms, avoiding eye contact with everyone else.

"That's Four. He rarely talks to anybody but Zeke and Uriah," Christina whispers to me.

Four. Strange name, but I guess everyone has a reason for everything. I assume Zeke and Uriah are the dark skinned brothers he was with.

I retire to my room for bed after dinner. I change into pajamas and wash my face. I can take a shower in the morning before school.

* * *

Just as I'm drifting of into sleep, my door creeps open. A large silhouette stops beside my bed and leans into my face.

"Well hello Beatrice," I hear Peter's voice say."I don't like you. The sooner you leave here, the sooner you get away from the living Hell I'm going to make your life from now on."

And with that, he swiftly punches me twice in the stomach, making me double over in pain. I don't have time to react to anything. The room is dark and I was almost asleep. He caught me at my worst time, when I am completely unalert.

He then punches me in the temple. I see black spotting the edges of my vision. I'm going to pass out. Hopefully soon.

He won't stop. I can barely make a noise, but I can hear myself whispering, "Stop. Please don't do this."

I know he can hear me, but he is choosing to ignore it.

The pain is intense. This just hurts so bad, but I can't do anything about it. I am helpless. I am not in control. And that is what scares me the most.

He relentlessly sends blows into my thighs and upper arms. My only thought is,'Not again.' As I finally let the pain send me into unconsciousness.

* * *

**Hopefully that wasn't too bad for the FIRST CHAPTER OF MY VERY FIRST FANFIC! I've been reading these for forever and I'm so excited to finally be writing one.**

**I can't wait to continue this story because it's going to be AMAZING! I really need y'all to tell me what you think about it, so please review. Whether it is good or bad. I'll take it all into consideration.**

**If you ever have an idea about how I can make it better, please pm me and I will definitely respond as soon as I can.**

**Keep reading this story! I will try to update as often as possible. It might be every three days or once a week. It depends on how quickly I write and how well y'all respond to this story.**

**Read on stay classy:)**

**Love Ty:)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Tris' POV**

I wake up sweating from yet another nightmare. It's the one same every time. I've been having it for a long time now. Its not really a dream, more of an awful memory. As much as I try to erase it from my mind and never think of it again, I just can't seem to forget what he did to me. I think about it all the time. It just keeps coming back to haunt me.

My brother's best friend Eric was staying at my house one summer, the whole entire summer. 'Baby sitting' me. He used to sneak into my room to teach me 'lessons', even though I never did anything wrong.

I eventually began to believe anything he said to me. He got to my head. I'm still struggling to get past the mental and emotional damage that he did to me.

That was the worst summer of my life. The worst time of my life. I never told Caleb or my parents about it because it would have been selfish. Our parents always taught selflessness, and it would have crushed Caleb if he knew what Eric was doing to me in the middle of the night or when nobody was around. It was, after all, Caleb's best friend. I was always afraid that he wouldn't believe me even if I got up the nerve to tell him about it.

I was never the same after that. I'm still working to get myself completely better, but I'm doubtful that it will ever happen. You can't go through such a traumatizing experience and then fully recover just like that.

I'm almost positive my family knew something was wrong with me. Eating made me sick, therefore I didn't eat. My body was frail and unhealthy. I passed out countless times,but I was always in the privacy of my room or bathroom, luckily. My parents would give me odd looks or offer me lots of food, but they always thought it would have been rude to bring it up.

I always kind of hoped in the back of my mind that they would ask me about it, just so I could finally tell someone about it, just to get it off of my chest. I needed someone to cry to and to hold me and tell me that everything was going to be okay. I shouldn't have had to go through it alone.

After they died, I vowed to myself to get healthy. I started eating again, though not as much as I should,and running at least four miles a day. I even got a gym membership where I learned to box.

I practiced basketball and tennis at the park closest to whatever foster family's house I was staying at that time. I've never felt better or more proud of myself. I hope my parents would have been proud too.

I am still working to overcome what Eric did to me. I just want to move on. More than almost anything.

I look at the clock, and it reads 2:13. It isn't like I'm going to go back to sleep. I just sit up and try to calm my breathing ck to normal. I finally get out of bed and head to the bathroom attached to my room. I decide to go on a run since I know I probably won't want to do it after school.

I look in the mirror at my body and see multiple ugly bruises that Peter left last night. They just make me even more disgusting than I already am.

I throw on athletic shorts and a sports bra on. I put a hoodie over it considering how chilly the Chicago air is.

I quietly go down to the first floor and creep out the door, trying not to make a sound that could possibly wake up anybody else in the house.

And I run.

I run until I can't remember anything about my nightmare. I run until I'm not thinking about the Hell my life will be now that Peter has found a way to hurt me without anyone knowing. I run until I am no longer nervous about going to a strange new school with strange new peole in a few short hours. I run until I can't feel the guilt about not dying in the accident with my parents and brother.

That is my worst regret: not being able to save them. I am fully aware that there is no way I could have known we were going to wreck, but maybe I could have done one thing different, and maybe they would still be here. I wish there was some reset button I could hit to do it all over again, do it all better. Maybe they would still be here today. I would gladly take all of their places.

I pass by an amazing park and countless houses. Nobody has come out of their homes yet. The sun is just starting to rise so I expect to see at least some teens start getting up to y for school. I run through a part of town with cute little shops that definitely have things that are my style. I'll have to make it a point to go there.

I finally realize that I have gone really far and probably need to go ahead and head back to get ready for school.

By the time I finally get back to the house, I have run twelve miles and am gasping for air. I didn't even realise I was out of breath.

The sun is fully risen, telling me that the others are probably up and are getting ready for school. I enter the house and grab a bottle of water from the fridge. I have chugged half of it when I feel a presence behind me, watching me. I am praying it isn't Peter while I am turning around.

I am pleasantly surprised when I see it is only Four, but then I remind myself that he is too good for me and will probably hate me eventually anyways. I seem to have that effect on most people.

"Morning," I mumble to him. He doesn't respond, just looks at me like I'm insane. I probably am.

"Morning," I say louder,snapping him out of his trance. He just walks past me and pulls a bottle out of the fridge.

As he drinks it, I can't help but watch how his lips move against it. I wonder briefly how those lips would feel against mine, but them remind myself that nobody wants a damaged girl. Nobody wants me.

"Are you going to talk to me or just ignore me the whole time I'm here?," I ask, getting angry. "Can you even talk?"

"Hello ,Tris." He replies coldly while glaring at me. Most people would be intimidated, but he doesn't seem to scare me. I'm just surprised he knows my name.

I see the pain in his eyes and know that he and I are more similar than we think. I wonder what he has been through, but know it isn't my place to ask.

"Now, was it really that hard?" I ask sarcastically.

He looks momentarily taken back. There is shock in his eyes, but he covers it so quickly that I wonder if it was even there. Maybe he's not used to being talked back to.

Maybe people should talk back to him more often. Might help him realize that he isn't all high and mighty.

I start heading up the stairs toward my bedroom. Ugh. Now I have to go to school.

* * *

After a very long shower, I decide to get ready for school. I can't delay it for any longer no matter how much I'm most likely going to hate it. One glance at the clock on my bedside table tells me I only have 15 minutes to get to my new school.

I quickly fish tail my wet hair to the side and apply only enough makeup to cover the bags under my eyes. I get dressed in black skinny jeans and a dark blue v-neck. I finish the look with a studded bracelet and my favorite black combat boots.

I quickly make my way downstairs,just to be greeted with Peter. I try to walk to avoid him, but that obviously doesn't work.

Luckily, Christina is in the room also.

Just as I walk past him, hopefully unnoticed, he grabs my right wrist hard enough to break the bone. He gives me a fake smile and glances at Christina, discretely telling me not to tell anyone about this or make a sound. He finally lets go and I hurry to Christina, getting as far away from Peter as possible.

"You ready?" She asks with her mouth full of granola bar. I nod. I want to get away from peter as swiftly as possible, before he can do me anymore damage. I quickly start walking towards the door, grabbing an apple and making my way to her cherry red Ferrari. I would kill for a car like this.

The whole way there, Christina jabbers so quickly that the only words I can make out are boys, Will, shopping, and zebra.

While she has her eyes trained on the road, I finally get a good look at my wrist. It is already turning blue and purple. I immediately know that it isn't going away anytime soon. I put my studded bracelet over it,partially hiding the bruise. It would be hard to explain if anyone saw.

We finally arrive at the huge school and I see that it is made of five colorful buildings. They look amazing and intimidating and intriguing all at once. We get out of the car and Christina leads me to the front office to get my schedule. 'Welcome to Hell.' I tell myself and quickly follow her.

* * *

**Thank you all so much for actually reading my story and reviewing for those of you who did.**

**Remember, I want to hear all feedback. It doesn't matter to me if it is good or bad.**

**Everything y'all say helps to a better fanfic.**

**I am going to continue this story for a while, so always be expecting updates. I always update as soon as I finish a chapter.**

**Read on and stay classy:)**

**Ty:)**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter three

When we get to the front office, I walk up to the counter and am greeted with a small Asian woman.

"Hi, I'm Tris Prior and I'm new here. Can you give me a schedule?" I ask her. "Ah,yes. Beatrice Prior. Here you go," she says, handing me my schedule."I'm Tori, by the way. I teach art and music." I simply nod and walk out of the office with Christina. Tori seemed nice. I hope she teaches me.

"Girl, let me see your schedule!" Christina practically screams in my ear. "Yay! We have every class together except AP English and Calculus! Some of us aren't as smart as you! At least you have every hour with Four."

Great! He already hates me and now he has to see me all day! Note the sarcasm.

Christina finally hands me back my schedule and I get a look at it.

Gym-Coach Amar

AP english

Lunch

Music-Tori Wu

Art-Tori Wu

Christina is still talking about how she's going to introduce me to all of her friends at lunch and how they are going to 'love' me. Yeah right.

"Hey!" I interrupt,"do you know where my locker is? It's number 247." "Omg,it's right beside mine!"She yells enthusiastically. This girl is driving me crazy, but in a good way. She makes it so easy to be excited about things.

She apparently nominates herself to walk me to every class she has with me and I don't object. It isn't like I can do it myself.

The whole way to Bio,I hear whispers of me being the 'new girl.' Maybe this school has nothing more interesting to talk about.

We arrive at biology and I immediately notice on of Four's friends that was with him last night is in this class. The only two spots are left in the entire classroom are beside him. I take the seat directly next to him while Christina sits to my left.

"Hi,I'm Uriah! Are you the new one at Max's?" He asks, and my face immediately turns white.

What if he asks about my past? What if Four knows about it and told him. I'm sure it was in my file that Max read, and maybe Max told everyone at the house about me. I really hope not.

I'm trying to go through the rest of my life with no one knowing anything about my past. The only people I want to know about me being in foster care are Christina,Four, Peter,and Molly. And that's only because it is inevitable since they live there too.

I definitely don't want anyone to pity me because my entire family is dead. I hate pity.

"U-u-mmm,yeah. How did you know about that?" I ask. He must notice the scared look on my face because he reassures me quickly,"oh! I didn't tell anyone, I just saw you at the table last night. And Four talks about you nonstop."

This statement confuses me. Why would Four talk about me when he doesn't even like me? I have to figure this out.

"Why the hell would Four talk about me?"I ask, angry that Four might be talking badly about me.

"Oh! You thought I meant that as a bad thing! He doesn't say anything bad about you."He reasures me quickly. Just as he is about to say something else, a tall blonde woman in a lab coat enter, effectively ruining his chance to speak. She must be the teacher.

The class goes by as expected:boring. is super rude and I can already tell that she's going to be my least favorite teacher.

Uriah keeps sneaking confused glances at me, like he's trying to figure me out. I just stare straight ahead and try to ignore him.

Surprisingly, Christina is focused on the class work. I wouldn't have pegged her to be the kind of girl to worry about grades. She just keeps surprising me.

We walk out of class and back towards our lockers. I pull out my map of the school, fully prepared to find my way to calculus by myself.

Unfortunately, Christina has a different idea.

Since Four has every hour with me, she insists he bring me to all of my classes. It makes sense, but I still don't like it. Four obviously wants nothing to do with me, but after Christina begs him to be my personal guide, he reluctantly agrees.

I'm totally shocked that he would agree to do a favor for me, but I guess Christina can be pretty convincing.

We make our way to Calculus with where he sits as far away as possible from me. I'm momentarily stung, but then I remind myself that I'm just a damaged girl that nobody could ever love.

The whole period,I just doodle in my notebook. At my old school, before the accident, I won countless awards for my artistic ability. I love to draw. Even I have to admit that my drawings always turn out amazing.

I'm pulled from my little drawing bubble when the bell rings, signaling the end of the hour.

Next hour is gym, which is my favorite. I can't wait to show all of the things I can do. I'm strong and fast and I could probably beat anybody at this school in a race. I don't tell that to many people, but everybody at this school is about to find out.

I practically sprint to the gym, causing me to knock into a very solid person, knocking us both to the ground.

I look up and see my fear has come true. It's Peter,and I just knocked him on his ass in front everyone in the hallway. I know he's going to get me back for this somehow.

I brace myself for a hit, but he only smiles creepily and squeezes my already bruised wrist, the look in his eyes telling me he will get me for this later.

I mumble an apology and sprint the rest is the way to the gym. I change into the gym shorts Tori gave me and then reach for the shirt.

But it isn't there.

It was right beside me! Where did it go? I can't go out there with only a sports bra! The only other girl in the locker room is Molly.

She sees my dilemma and smirks. Of course Molly took it, she didn't seem like she liked me at the foster house.

"Did you see where my gym shirt went Molly?" I ask even though I know she has it.

"Not a clue, Stiff." She replies rudely,"

"You're a bitch," I growl at her.

"At least I don't have the body of a child." She remarks immaturely.

That comment stung. I'm really self-conscious about my body. I'm all too aware that I'm way too skinny and short. You can practically still see my bones even though I've started eating again, but at least I'm healthier than I was.

I suddenly remember that I have a hoodie in my backpack and quickly pull it on over my sports bra, smiling sarcastically at her the whole time. And with that, I strut confidently out of the locker room.

When I get to the gym, I am greeted by every junior in the school. I guess they do P.E. by grades. Almost every single girl is in only a sports bra and yoga shorts. Obviously, they don't follow the dress code.

Coach Amar informs us that we will be doing races today.I have to suppress the urge to jump up and down.

Every pair has to do two laps and the one that finishes first wins. Boy against girl. He pairs us up 'fairly',as he calls it, but there is nothing fair about it. There are overweight girls pairs with athletic boys and vice verse. It is just my luck that I am paired with Four. Short against tall.

I still know I'm going to win. I've spent the last year working on my speed, there is absolutely no way he can beat me even though he looks extremely fit.

After a few races, it is mine and Four's turn when the coach notices me. "There are no hoodies allowed in this class, take it off." Coach Amar instructs me.

I will be brave. I hate my body, but I can't let them know about my insecurities.

I whip of my hoodie in one swift motion to reveal my black sports bra. The guys in the room automatically whoop in approval.

I know they can't be serious. I'm aware of how ugly and skinny my body is.

I look at Four and see him staring at my nonexistent stomach with an emotion I can't read. I quickly cross my arms over it.

Even though I feel tingly when his eyes are on me,I still am not comfortable with it. He obviously has the perfect body that would put everyone else to shame.

"Alright! That's enough," Coach Amar yells, saving me from further embarrassment.

"Tris and Four, are you ready to begin the race?" We both nod our heads. I can't wait to show everyone what I can do.

The whistle suddenly blows and we are off.

* * *

**Thank you everyone that reviewed! You all gave positive feedback and I will definitely continue this story.**

**I got a review asking if Tris was living with a a family that adopts other foster kids from different families.**

**Tris is a foster child living in a foster home with other foster kids from all different families. They are all in foster care waiting to be adopted.**

**However, foster families can adopt some children that they foster.**

**I'm so happy to have such great reviews on my VERY FIRST FANFIC! So thanks very much and read on.**

**Stay classy readers:)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapters Three and Four in Four's POV**

I finally arrive at school in my motorcycle and start heading to class. I see Christina showing Tris to her first class and I can't help but to feel jealous. Wait. Why am I jealous of Christina? I shouldn't want to be around Tris. I shouldn't want to be the one showing her around.

She would never want to be with someone with as many secrets as me. I've been through too much and am damaged.

She's obviously seen a lot too. Something must have happened to her family for her to be placed in foster care. I just hope it isn't the same reason as mine. I've barely meet her but I can already tell that she's special.

She's seen a lot, but she is strong and is working through it every day. She deserves someone so much better than me.

I walk to my first class and take a seat in the back of the class next to Zeke.(**Authors** **Note**: **I** **made** **them** **all** **juniors**. **Uriah** **and** **Zeke** **are** **fraternal** **twins!)**

I look up to see Tris taking a seat between Uriah and Christina. They start talking and Tris glances at me.

I tense.

What if they are talking about me? What if Uriah is telling her how much I talk about her? That will freak her out! I've barely said two words to her!

I haven't said anything bad or anything, I've just mentioned more about he to Zeke and Uriah than I ever have about anyone else. Apparently, it's weird for the 'mysterious Four's to take interest in anyone. But, I mean, how could I not talk about her?

Ever since this morning when she came in from her run, I was fascinated with her. No one ever stands up to me like that.

I've been thinking about her since even before that. When I saw her at the dinner table the night she got here. Her eyes drew me into her. They were so full of life, but they were also full of secrets and pain. I want to be the one she tells about them. But she would never do that. She would never like someone like me.

Soon enough, 's walks in and begins teaching her boring class that no one pays attention to. I just talk to Zeke the entire period. The bell finally rings and I get my books for calculus from my locker.

Christina waves me over to she and Tris. Apparently, I have every single class with Tris. I suddenly feel extremely happy, but then remember that she deserves better than me.

Christina practically begs me to walk Tris to all of her classes. I would be very excited to agree, but I really don't think Tris would like to spend a lot of time with me. I reluctantly agree since Tris has no one else to bring her to the classes that Christina has with her.

We walk silently to Calculus. We arrive and I sit as far away from her as possible. I'm already walking her to every class, I should probably give her some space. I'm sure she's already upset about spending time with me at all, I don't want to force her to spend more time with me by sitting beside her.

Class passes quickly and we start walking to gym, my favorite class. Suddenly, Tris starts sprinting to the gym. Either she really doesn't want to spend another second with me, or she is super excited about being in gym. I suspect it's both.

I know for a fact that Tris is athletic. I saw her coming back from a run early this morning. She is obviously pretty invested in her fitness if she is willing to wake up early to go for a run.

I arrive in gym class and get dressed in basketball shorts and a plain black t-shirt. I walk out of the locker room and go talk to Zeke. He's thinking about having yet another party this Friday. He has parties almost every weekend.

I see Tris walk out after almost everyone else. Her face is red and she looks furious. I immediately note that she is wearing a hoodie.

Oh no. She's not going to be able to wear it for long. Hoodies aren't allowed in this class. I just hope she has something decent on under it.

Coach Amar comes out of his office and greets all of us juniors. He announces that we will be doing races today and I am instantly excited. I love to run. It helps get my mind off of all the thoughts that haunt me.

I'm pulled out of my thoughts when I hear Coach Amar shout instructions. He is going to split us into evenly matched pairs. We all let out a collective groan. We all know that evenly to him actually means total opposite to everyone else.

He starts pairing us up together, unfairly, I might add, and I am fortunately paired with Tris. Tall against short. I obviously have longer legs than her, but I definitely don't have her speed. Since she is so all, she is bound to be fast. I am more about stamina, but this race is only two laps around the track.

A few pairs go and since they are so unfair, it's easy to predict who will win. Now is mine and Tris' race.

Just as Coach is about to blow the whistle, he calls Tris out. "There are no hoodies allowed in this class. Take it off."

I see fear flash behind her eyes, but she quickly masks it. She is very good at hiding her emotions, but not from me. I can tell that we are very alike. We have both been through pain that will be with us throughout the rest of our lives. I can see it in her eyes.

She swiftly removes her hoodie, revealing a black sports bra. Almost every other girl in this room is wearing one, but I can't help but stare at her. Even though I can tell she is too skinny for a normal girl her age, I still can't help but think she's absolutely beautiful.

But then, my eyes are drawn to something else.

A dark bruise.

It's peeking out from under her sports bra, right above her ribs. The more I look at her, the more I see. I start to see bruises on her upper arms as well. I can tell from experience that they are very frequent, judging by the dark purple and blue color.

It makes me sick to think of someone doing that to someone as amazing as Tris. I have only just met her, but I am positive that she doesn't deserve to be hit or treated badly at all.

I look around at everybody to see if they notice them, but of course they don't. Everyone at this school is so used to people getting in fights that they don't notice her bruises. I'm thankful for that. She probably doesn't need everyone looking at her like she's a kicked puppy. I know how she feels.

She finally looks up and notices my staring and crosses her arms over her tiny but firm stomach. She doesn't get the chance to say anything because Coach Amar tells everyone to shut up. I didn't even notice everyone was whooping and catcalling at Tris.

We get set at the starting line, waiting for Coach to cue our start. The whistle blows, and we are off. By the time I can even process anything, Tris is already ahead. Damn, she's fast!

She runs like she is finally free from her demons, like she is finally doing something that she enjoys, for herself. It's like she's finally happy. By the time I am halfway through a lap, she is already half a lap ahead of me.

It is so weird to be losing, I have always been the fastest student at this school. But maybe Tris deserves to be praised for something she enjoys and is fantastic at.

We are both still sprinting halfway through the second lap, but Tris is still quite a bit ahead. Every time I try to gain on her, it's like she senses it and goes faster.

She's a natural and I don't even mind that she is going to be the first person to beat me in a race. We are finally just a few yards away from the finish line and the entire class is either cheering for me or Tris.

Right at this moment, Tris decides to give everything she has and speeds up even further, reaching the finish line at least 10 seconds before me.

Everyone is shocked. They can't believe this little girl beat the legendary Four. I am currently gasping for air, but when I look at Tris, she is hardly even breaking a sweat.

"Time?" I ask Coach Amar, who has an incredulous look on his face. Obviously he didn't expect her to win either. He breaks out of his trance and looks at his stopwatch. "1:23 for you, 1:12 for the little girl." Now it's my turn to be shocked. A half mile in 1:23? That's the fastest I've ever done. 1:12 is incredible for Tris.

I can't help but think that the reason I did so well is because Tris was in it with me. She makes me better and faster.

Coach Amar still looks like he can't believe that Tris ran like that, so strongly,so fast. "Tris! Are you thinking about doing track? I've already seen enough that you don't have to try out. We practice after school today. We would be happy to have you on the team."

She looks momentarily shocked, like she can't believe she's even being noticed. "U-u-mm, sure. That would be great."

The rest of the class is still whispering about Tris's speed. I don't blame them, she was amazing. She is amazing.

The rest of the pairs go, but I block them out and think about Tris. Coach finally sends us to the locker rooms to get dressed. The bell for fourth period finally rings and I start walking out, but something stops me dead in my tracks.

Tris is waiting by the door, staring at me. She then comes to stand right beside me. What is she doing? Why would she be waiting for me? She looks confused for a second. "You're still bringing me to class, right?"

Of course! Class. Disappointment surges through me. She only needs me to walk her to class. That's the only reason she waited for me. I try to mask my disappointment with a small smile"Of course."

And off to AP English we go.

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**Thank** **y'all soooo much for all the reviews! I hope y'all like this chapter in Four's pov.**

**A special thanks to teentastic for being SO FRICKEN AWESOME!**

**I'm so glad that I have such amazing fans on my VERY first fanfic. I will try to update this story very soon, so in the next few days.**

**The next chapter will be in Tris's pov.**

**Love,Ty:)**

**Read on and stay classy:)**


	5. Chapter 5

_**You don't have to do this on your own,**_

_**Like there's no one that cares about you.**_

_**And oh say that it's alright,**_

_**But I know that it's a lie**_

_**From the black in your eyes. **_

_**You don't have to act like you're alone,**_

_**Like the walls are closing in on you.**_

_**You don't have to pretend no one know,**_

**Like there's no one that understands you.**

**I'm not just some face that you used to know.**

**I know all about you.**

**And you should know that someone cares about you.**

All About You by Birdy

* * *

Coach Amar blows his whistle and we are off.

I run as fast as I can, not daring to look back to see how far behind Four is. When I am running, the rest of the world surrounding me falls away, and I am the only one in the world that matters.

Nothing else matters.

The guilt I feel about my family is gone.

The fear I feel about the countless ways Peter can get me back for knocking him down in the hallway has faded to nothing.

The insecurity I feel about my body and how everyone in this class is probably judging me has disappeared.

I put everything I have into my running, because I know that when things get tough, I will always be able to run and forget, even if only for a moment.

In this moment, I am infinite.

I am sprinting with everything I have. We have finished one lap and are passing the rest of the class standing on the side. They all look so shocked, I almost burst out laughing. I guess they didn't expect me to be so good at this.

There are so many things they don't know about me yet, and many things they will never know about me. I can't let these people know my deepest secrets, about my family, Peter, and definitely not about Eric and what he did to me that summer.

I chance a look back at Four and see that while he is in a full on sprint, he is still yards behind me. I must have at least ten seconds on him. That may not sound like a lot, but in running time, it's a giant gap.

He is a fantastic runner, but he looks like more of a football player. He has the broad shoulders, long arms, and fit body. I take a second to mentally admire his body. He is so perfect, it's crazy. Physically wise. I'm almost positive he has issues, seeing that he is also in foster care.

Something must have happened to his family that left them unable to care for him or dead. I can only hope it's the first option. No one should have to go through their family dying, especially right in front of them, like me. And people wonder why I'm so messed up.

I watched my family die, and there was absolutely nothing I could do to save them. The whole time I'm thinking like this, I am gaining speed. This isn't nearly the fastest I have ever gone, but I'm still going extremely fast.

Before I know it, we are almost done with the second lap. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Four trying to gain on me. Every time,I ever so slightly speed up, so he won't have any possible chance to beat me. I have to win. I have to prove to myself that I am good at something, that I'm not totally worthless.

The last quarter lap of the lap, I push all of my thoughts away and run as fast as my feet can carry me. It's amazing what I can do when I just shut my thought off and just run. The finish line is approaching fast, and Four is still plenty far behind me.

I sprint past the finish line, and am met with faces of amazement. A few second later, Four passes the finish line, gasping for breathe. I am not even breathing hard. I'm so used to doing so much of a longer distance than that, it doesn't even phase me.

"Time?" Four buffs out at Coach Amar. I finally notice that Coach is looking at me much like the rest of the class is: surprised, intimidated, shocked. It makes me proud to know that I can have that kind of effect on them just by running half of a mile."1:23 for you, 1:12 for the little girl," Coach Amar responds.

This comment would infuriate me, but I'm so thrilled from running that it doesn't bother me one bit. I'm very pleasantly surprised when Coach Amar asks me to be on the track team. He must think that I'm pretty good too. The run that I just didn't wasn't nearly as impressive as some that I have done before.

"U-um, sure." He gives me a nod of approval and begins the remaining races.

I eventually zone out until I see Peter at the starting line, facing off with Christina. Coach blows his whistle and they take off running as fast as they can. Christina may have insanely long legs, but they are no match compared to Peter's incredible speed.

He is so fast that I forget about what he is doing to me and admire how fast he is. It scares me a little to know that he isn't only strong, but also swift. He's not nearly as quick as me, but if I am ever hurt and trying to get away from him, he could quite possibly catch me before I could get away.

I shiver and quickly look away. He ends up beating Christina by almost 15 seconds. His time was 1:54 and hers was 2:13. They are both pretty talented.

Christina comes up to me after her race to talk."Oh my gosh! We're going to be on the track team together! You're amazing at running, I can't believe your time was only 1:12! That's incredible, way faster that anyone on the team could do."

I nod my head."I can't wait to meet all of the other girls on the team! I'm really happy that I have you there with me so I know at least one person."I respond with more enthusiasm than usual. She must be rubbing of on me.

She just smiles freakishly widely."I am going to introduce you to some of the girls at lunch. They are in our group and we all sit together in the cafeteria."

We continue talking about track and shopping(mostly her) and watch the rest of the races. None of the do as well as Four, Christina, Peter, and I. They mostly get around four minutes, which is an average time for people that don't run regularly.

One girl even clocked in at a total of eight minutes. She was so out of breathe by the time she was finished, I seriously thought she was going to pass out.

Coach Amar finally sends us back to the locker rooms to get dressed and we change back into the clothes we originally had on. I am about to head to the next class when I remember that I have absolutely no idea where my next class is.

I know that I need to get Four to bring me, but I don't want to bother him. I think about my options, but then decide that him bringing me to class is the most practical one. I wait by the door for him to come out. Only a few moment pass before he comes out of the boy's locker room.

I can't help but think about how well his plain shirt hugs his rippling muscles so perfectly. I immediately stop my thoughts and internally reprimand myself.'You can't think about him like that Tris! Nobody will ever want you.'

I walk up to him and ask him if he's still bringing me to class and he says yes. We start walking toward AP English.

I absolutely love English;it's my best subject. I like knowing how words fit together and make sense. I like how every single word has a purpose. It reminds me that even the smallest of things can be useful.

We get there and sit in the last to available seats. Right next to each other. I take out my notebook and doodle until the teacher, , enters the classroom. He starts talking about book reports and I just sit in my seat, taking it all in. He teaches until about five minutes until the bell, then tells about the assignment we will have a month to do.

We have to 'establish' a fake business with a partner. We will need to come up with a name, storefront, merchandise, and everything else businesses need. He says that we are to base the theme of the store on each of our likes and merge them, then write a report about our business.

But here's the kicker.

Our partner is the person sitting next to us. Therefore, I am partners with Four. The little voice in my head says that this would be a perfect way to find out more about him, but the rest of me is scared that once he gets to know me, he will think I'm repulsive.

I chance a look at him and see that he is looking straight back at me. He doesn't look angry or annoyed at all. Maybe he doesn't hate me as much as I thought. The bell finally rings for lunch and I walk with Four to the cafeteria to meet with Christina and the rest of the group.

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**Hey guys! I hope y'all like this chapter. I'm oh so very sorry I didn't update sooner. I just had to make sure that this chapter was up to my standards, which are pretty high, so it's pretty hard for me to write stories.**

**I hope y'all keep following this story and enjoy reading it as much as I love writing it.**

**Read on and stay classy:)**

**Love,Ty:)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter** **Six**

Tris's pov

It turns out, lunch equals interrogation.

Christina and I go through the lunch line and grab our trays. The only good thing I can find is an apple, so I grab it and a bottle of water. I look at Christina and see her piling her plate up with chocolate cake, so I put a little piece on my plate too.

We walk together to a table in the middle of the cafeteria where the only people I recognize are Four,Zeke, and Uriah. Christina introduces me to a pretty, short-haired blonde girl named Shauna and a scary looking bald girl named Lynn. She informs me that they are sisters. She blushes scarlet when introduces a boy with blonde hair and celery green eyes named Will. She obviously likes him.

"These two retarded brothers are Zeke and Uriah. I'm pretty sure you saw them with Four last night." Christina tells me loudly. This catches Shauna's and Lynn's attention. They don't know about me being a foster kid and they aren't about to find out. I just met them and I'm not going to give out that information until I know that I can trust them. I don't want it going around school.

Lynn is the first one to speak up."What do you mean you saw them last night? They spent the night with Four. You just got here, so how did you see them?"

I start to panic, so I spit out a lie as fast as humanly possible."U-umm, I went shopping the first day I got here and ran into Christina. We shopped together the whole day and she invited me over for dinner. I saw Zeke and Uriah walk in with Four." The words tumble out of my mouth. That actually sounded pretty believable. I look at Christina and she's giving me a confused look. I glare at her, silently pleading with her not to give me away. She must understand because her eyes soften and she give a slight nod of her head. She gives me a look that says that we will definitely be talking about this later. At least she isn't going to tell everyone that I'm lying.

Lynn and Shauna seem to accept this and start eating their piles of chocolate cake. I look at the rest of the table and see them doing the same. WHAT IS IT WITH THIS CHOCOLATE CAKE?

Uriah notices my confusion."Dauntless cake is like heaven in slice form. Try some and you will never look at regular cake the same again!"

I don't really feel like eating right now. Sometimes I'm hungry all day and sometimes I hardly eat anything at all for an entire week. Looking at food makes me sick sometimes."I'll just stick with my apple." I tell him politely.

Everyone at the table stops what they are doing and looks and me like I just said that I was about to shit monkeys."WHAT?" They shout in unison. How did they do that?

" You aren't going to eat anything else but an apple? Dauntless cake is sent from the gods and you aren't even going to eat it? What's wrong with you?" Lynn shouts, loud enough for the entire fucking world to hear.

This comment makes me feel even more depressed than I already did. I'm trying to eat more food, but misfortunes I just can't. Who is she to judge me? She doesn't know me or what I've been through. No one here knows what I've seen. Christina and Four probably have family problems too since they live at Max's, but they still don't know exactly what happened to me.

"I'm just not very hungry." I mumble to Lynn,not quite meeting anyone's eyes.

"I guess that's how you stay so skinny!" Christina yells. This conversation is making me uncomfortable.

I look at Four and see that he looks upset. I don't know why my eating habits would make him upset. It's not like my life has any affect on his. He shouldn't worry about what I do.

Uriah obviously sees my discomfort and changes the subject."Zeke and I are having a party this Friday at our house. All of you, along with half the school, are invited!" The rest of the lunch, my unhealthy eating habits are forgotten and we all just talk about the party.

The bell ending lunch rings and Four walks me to music. I walk into the room and my eyes immediately zero in on the giant grand piano. I haven't played since before my parents died. My mom taught me, but I haven't been able to force myself to play since I've been in foster care. She was a music teacher, always teaching kids to play music. Always doing things for other people instead of herself. I miss her so much.

Four goes to sit by Zeke, so I sit between Christina and Uriah. We talk until Tori comes in."Class, today you are in for a special treat. We are going to have a musical play-off. You can play an instrument or sing and the person that wins gets 50 extra bonus points in this class." I really want to win because I want to start the year off with good grades. I don't want to fall behind in school just because of what I'm going through in my life.

Tori will pick students to go one at a time and we rate them. The two students with the highest scores compete to win the bonus points. A mousy brunette that hangs out with Peter is the first to go. As expected, her voice is as ugly as her face. Hardly anyone claps when she finishes singing Carry On by f.u.n.

I zone out from the rest of the horrible singers until Christina comes on stage and sings 400 Lux by Lorde**(A/N-if** **you** **haven't** **heard** **it,** **listen** **to** **it!)** She gets really into the song and starts dancing along with it. She's has a really great voice. After she gets done, receiving about 5 minutes of applause, it is Four's turn.

I can't really imagine him singing because he looks so tough, but he proves me wrong yet again. He sings Ready,Aim,Fire by Imagine Dragons and played guitar along with it. His voice is amazing. It is deep and gravely and mesmerizing and I can't get enough of it. By the time he finishes singing his song, I'm pretty sure I'm drooling.

Uriah, Zeke, Shauna, and Lynn all go. They are all pretty talented, but Lynn stuck out to me. She sang with a pain in her eyes and her voice held so much emotion. She and I might actually get along.

Tori starts to pick the next person to go on stage, and her eyes look straight at me. "Tris, nobody here has heard your talents yet. Let's see what you can do!" I'm so nervous I feel like I'm about to puke.

I look to the piano and immediately know that I'm not ready to play yet. It will bring up too many memories and I won't be able to control my emotions. I decide to sing one of my favorite songs, even though I've never sang anywhere except in my shower before the accident. No one has ever heard me except my mom.

I walk up to the microphone and start singing Ignorance by Paramore.

If I'm a bad person, you don't like me

Well I guess I'll make my own way

It's a circle A mean cycle I can't excite you anymore

Where's your gavel? Your jury? What's my offense this time?

You're not a judge but if you're gonna judge me

Well sentence me to another life

Don't wanna hear your sad songs I don't wanna feel your pain

When you swear it's all my fault Cause you know we're not the same (no)

We're not the same (no) Oh we're not the same

Yeah the friends who stuck together

We wrote our names in blood

But I guess you can't accept that the change is good (hey)

It's good (hey) It's good

Well you treat me just like another stranger

Well it's nice to meet you sir

I guess I'll go

I best be on my way out

You treat me just like another stranger

Well it's nice to meet you sir

I guess I'll go

I best be on my way out

Ignorance is your new best friend

Ignorance is your new best friend

This is the best thing that could've happened

Any longer and I wouldn't have made it

It's not a war no, it's not a rapture

I'm just a person but you can't take it

The same tricks that, that once fooled me

They won't get you anywhere

I'm not the same kid from your memory

Well now I can fend for myself

Don't wanna hear your sad songs

I don't wanna feel your pain

When you swear it's all my fault

Cause you know we're not the same (no)

We're not the same (no)

Oh we're not the same

Yeah we used to stick together

We wrote our names in blood

But I guess you can't accept that the change is good (hey)

It's good (hey) It's good

Well you treat me just like another stranger

Well it's nice to meet you sir

I guess I'll go

I best be on my way out

You treat me just like another stranger

Well it's nice to meet you sir

I guess I'll go

I best be on my way out

Ignorance is your new best friend

Ignorance is your new best friend

Ignorance is your new best friend

Ignorance is your new best friend

Well you treat me just like another stranger

Well it's nice to meet you sir

I guess I'll go

I best be on my way out

You treat me just like another stranger

Well it's nice to meet you sir

I guess I'll go

I best be on my way out

I open my eyes after noticing that I had them squeezed tightly together the entire time. I look around the room and hope that I didn't do too bad. When I see the class, they have mixed expressions of awe, confusion, and amazement. I guess I did alright.

I walk off the stage and the class claps so loudly that I feel like my eardrums are going to pop. They keep clapping until Tori tells them to quiet down.

I plop back down in my seat beside Christina and Uriah."Tris, that was amazing. Where did you learn to sing like that and why aren't you famous yet?!" Christina says excitedly.

I'm saved from answering by Tori calling up her next victim. This goes on until the bell rings and it is time for art. Not everyone got a chance to sing so we will finish the contest tomorrow.

I get my stiff out of my locker and find Four by his locker. With a girl. I feel white hot jealousy course through my veins, but I don't know why.

She's absolutely nothing like me. She has a pile of makeup on her face and you can see her boobs,obviously fake, hanging out of her drastically low v-neck. She is rubbing up against Four, whispering something in his ear. He looks incredibly uncomfortable.

He looks up and sees me staring and give me a look that begs me to help. Before I can think twice, I run between the him and the Barbie doll."Umm, excuse me, I think you should step away from him before you give him an STD just by breathing on him." I tell the bitch.

She puts her perfectly manicured hand on my chest and shoves me with more strength than I would have thought she had, making me fall to the ground."And why would I do that bitch? I'm not going to listen to a poor little foster girl with no family. You are nothing, your family didn't even want you. They were probably happy to die just so they could get away from you." She whispers into my ear, so quietly that only I can hear.

I lose all practical thoughts and it is almost like I lose control of my body. My arm swings out and punches her square in the nose. I hear a satisfying crunch and blood starts gushing, but I don't stop. I push her to the ground and kick her in the ribs,face,legs. Anywhere I can reach.

I can't seem to stop.

It's like my legs are acting on their own. My family didn't want to die. My family loved me.

She is definitely unconscious, but I still can't stop. I straddle her and grab her head in my hands and bring it to the ground over and over and over again. I can't stop. It isn't until Four puts his arm around my waist and pulls me back that I stop fighting and notice the crowd around the fight.

I look at the bitch and see blood spilling freely from all over her body.I hear "get her to the Infirmary! She's going to die!" being shouted, but I don't care.

Four looks at me with a frightened and concerned expression."What the fuck did she say to you, Tris?"

"Let's just go to art." I mumble to him.

Art is exactly what I need right now. It might help calm me down. I'm ashamed of what I did to that girl. I don't even know her name and I severely injured her. I would have killed her if Four hadn't stopped me. That's what scares me the most.

I still have no idea how she knew that I am in foster care and that my family died. I didn't tell anyone, so someone that also lives there mist have said something. Probably Peter. Damn fucktard.

"What was her name?" I ask Four halfway to class. "Lauren" he replies"and I'd really like to know what she said to make you go crazy. I saw her whisper something in your ear. It must have been pretty personal."

I just shrug my shoulders and speed up my pace. We arrive at art class and this time, Four actually sits right beside me instead of by Zeke. Maybe he thinks he'll have to stop me from beating someone else into unconsciousness.

"If you are sitting by me so I won't try to kill anyone else, don't bother. I don't need you to protect me. I can handle myself." I tell him angrily.

"Obviously I know that you can handle yourself. What do you think you just did in the hallway. I'm going to sit by you so deal with it."

I am about to reply when Tori walks in and tells us to stop talking."Now class, we are going to start on something new today. I want you all to draw what you would get as a tattoo. And it can't be a heart or those stupid infinity signs all of you do! Make it meaningful. What it means to you is half of the points and artistic ability is the other half."

I get out my sketchbook and start drawing. It's almost like my hand is moving on its own. I block out the rest of the class and just draw. If I were to actually get a tattoo, which I would totally love, I would want it to mean something to me. The most significant thing in my life is my family.

I start to draw three ravens to represent the three family members that I lost. I finish up the sketch just as Tori is walking around, checking people's work. She mostly just nods her head and sometimes offers words of encouragement.

She stops and stares wide-eyed at my sketch."Tris, this is amazing. Where did you get the inspiration?" "The birds represent my family that I lost in a car accident. They meant the world to me." I whisper to her so that no one hears.

"I'm very sorry for your loss. I'm sure they would be so proud of you,sweetheart. As far as I can tell, you're a pretty amazing girl." I nod my head in thanks. Maybe talking to Tori is exactly what I needed to feel better.

At least I don't feel like beating the shit out of anyone anymore. I feel so much better than I did when I walked in here.

The bell rings, signalling the end of the day.

I get to the gym and get dressed in what I wore in gym, a black sports bra and gym shorts. I make my way to the track to meet the rest of the team and Coach Amar for track practice.

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Thank you all so much for leaving such awesome review! Sorry this isn't in bold and nothing is separated, my kindle is being retarded right now.

Dear zayzay, I am a girl, Ty is short for my real name, which I don't really like.

I hope you all like this chapter because it was really fun to write. It is my favorite so far:)

Read on and stay classy:) Love,Ty:)


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter** **7**

**Tris's pov**

The girls greet me and Christina gives me an enormous suffocating hug. I look at all the girls and see that the only ones I know are Christina,Lynn,and Shauna. We talk,and by we,I mean them, until Coach Amar comes and tells us to stretch. In unison, the girls bend down as far as they can to touch their toes.

I follow suit, going down so far that my chin ends up between my legs. "Damn girl! Why are you so flexible?" Shauna asks me.

"I used to be in gymnastics when I was younger. I did them until I was around thirteen." I answer back.

This gets another girl's,Cara's, attention."So can you do flips and stuff? And do tricks on a beam?"

"Sure, but I haven't done it since then. I practiced in the park a few times after I quit, but it wasn't the same."

"Do a back bend!"one girl named Amy requests. I abandon my stretching and do a back bend right there. I flip backwards out of my back bend at least six times. I then run at the girls flipping and doing cartwheels. I get to them and land in a split. The girls look at me in awe, speechless.

"That was amazing! Is there anything you can't do?" Christina yells.

There are plenty of things I can't do."Knit."

"That doesn't count. Only old people can knit."

Coach Amar chooses this moment to walk to us."Alright girls! Start with warm-ups! Jog twice around the track." That's way too easy. We get on the line and Shauna yells go. All 10 girls start jogging at around the same pace: slow. Two laps is nothing compared to what I usually do. In fact, I just beat Four this morning in two laps, so I start running. Not a full out sprint, but not a jog either.

When I look back, all of the other girls are pretty far behind me, Christina being the closest. I keep my pace until I reach the finish line, several seconds before any of the other girls do. I hear them breathing slightly hard, but I'm so used to it that my breathing is completely normal. The girls look at me like I'm an alien.

"You didn't slow down, you aren't breathing hard, and you practically sprinted that lap!" Shauna yells at me,"How did you do that?"

"I run a lot." They shake their heads at this, but accept it.

Coach Amar comes out and tells us to sprint two miles and we can leave when we finish. The girls catch their breathe and get set at the starting line. Coach yells 'Go!' and we start sprinting.

I finish the two miles with ease and wait for Christina to finish hers so that we can ride home together. She finishes about three minutes after me, coming in second to me. We get changed in the locker room and start to drive back to the house. Halfway there, she decides to interrogate me.

"How are you so fast? I know you said you run a lot, but you only get that good by running for a reason."

It couldn't hurt to tell her that. I hopefully won't give up too much about my past. Maybe she deserves to know and I'm sure she already suspects my family problems since I am in foster care with her. I take a deep breath and start my explanation.

"I was in a bad situation before my parents died." I start, thinking of Eric."and when I couldn't take it anymore, I tried to run away from my feelings.I was afraid of having a moment of weakness and found something I would regret. After my parents died and I went into foster care, I would get really upset and have tantrums, locking myself in the bathroom, not talking, stuff like that. So instead of doing that, I used running as my way to cope, just like before."

Christina stares at me with pity, which I hate."Wow. That's really deep."

I look at her and burst out laughing, because it is the only thing to do in a time like this. She just had to say that. She just laughs along with me. She decides to change the subject drastically.

"So, Tris. I saw the way you and Four were looking at each other at lunch. Anything you want to tell me?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about." I wasn't being obvious at lunch. Damn her observation skills.

"Oh, come on! You were making googly eyes with each other!"

"I'm not the one that has eye sex with Will!"

"I'm at least getting some kind of sex!"she quips.

"At least I'm not a slut!"

"At least I'm sexy enough to be a slut!"

"At least I come to terms with the fact that Four doesn't like me!"

"At least I don't lie to myself like you do!"

We continue on until we are red in the face from laughing so hard. We finally pull up in the driveway and get out of the car. I go straight to my room and close my door. When I look up, I am faces with my nightmare.

Peter.

"Well, someone finally decided to come home." He sneers hatefully.

"What do you want Peter?"

"To make your life Hell." "Why?" I ask. I have absolutely no idea why he insists on hating me so much, on physically hurting me even though he doesn't even know me.

"It's my favorite pastime."he replies sarcastically,"Now, about what happened in the hallway."

I visibly gulp. Me knocking him down in the hallway wouldn't be a big deal to anyone else but Peter. I personally think that he is just looking for reasons to harm me.

"That was so dumb. Didn't last night show you not to mess with me?" I think about the bruises covering my body. "You are going to pay for humiliating me in front of everyone in that hallway. Now take of your shirt."

The look on his face tells me that it will only be worse if I don't obey him. I just pray that he doesn't try to rape me.I turn around and take of my shirt agonizingly slow, stalling. I turn back around to see him taking off his belt. I scream in my mind. Eric was awful, but he never whipped me. He mostly kicked and punched me. He messed with my mind a lot, and that hurt more that anything he could ever physically do to me.

"Don't make a sound."he warns. I brace myself for the impact, but I could have never prepared for the pain I feel when the leather comes into contact with the tender flesh of my back. My legs instantly buckle and I fall to the ground, but my mouth stays clenched shut, preventing any sounds from escaping.

I lay am laying on the ground on my stomach when lash comes. I inevitably cry out.

"What did I just say bitch? Not a sound!" He continues to break the skin on my back until it is bleeding heavily. I see it leaking onto the hardwood floor. I'm not sure how many strikes I have taken because I lost count after 18. This is the worst pain I have ever experienced.

I am almost unconscious when I hear him slip his belt back into the loops on his pants. I think it is finally over when he jerks my head up by my hair and slams it into the ground. The only thought I can form is 'finally' as I slip into an endless blackness.

* * *

I open my eyes with a gasp. I could have only been unconscious for a few minutes. Peter must have left. I finally allow myself to cry. I sob into my hand to cover up the inhuman noises that I am making.

I'm not sure how long this goes on, but my tears finally stop and I decide to try and move. Every slight movement causes an excruciating jolt to coarse through my entire body. I crawl to my bed and use it to pull myself up. It hurts like hell, but I can't just lay on the floor all day with a bloody back.

I finally pull myself up and get to the bathroom. I have to clean the blood up so that no one comes in here and sees it. I slowly drag myself to the bathroom and grab a towel to clean up the bloody floor. After I finish that, I realize that the next step is to clean myself up. And I know it's going to be excruciating.

I get into the shower and turn the water on as cold as possible in hopes that it will somewhat numb my back. As soon as the water hits my back, I let out a scream into my teeth. The pain is unbearable. Even though the water beating down on me is torture, I don't budge.

After a few minutes, my back is finally becoming somewhat numb. It still hurts like hell, but I don't need to muffle my screams anymore. After a few more minutes in the shower, I step out and look at my back in the mirror.

What I see shocks me.

I was already expecting my back to be cut up and ugly, but this is a whole new level. What was before smooth, pale, and tender is now just torn flesh. The angry skin is ripped and torn from the leather of the belt. At least it isn't bleeding very badly anymore. The water must have helped.

I tightly wrap a towel around my back, carefully placing it so it doesn't cause any more pain than is inevitable. I keep in there for a few minutes and when I take it off, the bleeding has almost completely stopped from the pressure of the towel. My mom taught me that the quickest way to stop bleeding was to apply pressure.

I carefully put an over sized shirt and boxer shorts on so that they don't cling to the fresh wounds. I lay on my bed and sob silently. That is how I fall asleep.

* * *

I wake up with a large hand shaking my shoulder. I yelp at the sudden movement without opening my eyes. The hand stills.

"Tris? What's the matter?"a voice I recognize as Four's asks.

Four? What is he doing in here? Shit! I just helped in pain and he heard it! I can only hope he doesn't read into it and ask questions. I quickly open my eyes and look straight into his dark blue ones.

"What are you doing in here? And why are you waking me up?"I ask before he can question me about my cry of pain.

It seems to get his mind off of it."It's dinner time and Christina made it. You should come down to eat."

Food is the absolute last thing on my mind right now. I can't even think about it without getting nauseous.

"I'm not very hungry, but thanks for the offer,"I reply groggily.

"Tris, you have hardly eaten anything all day, you need to eat. It's not healthy to skip meals. I know for a fact that all you had for lunch was an apple and Christina told me that you only had a granola bar for breakfast."

Why is he so worried about this anyways? I'm not his problem and he should just leave me and my health alone.

"You aren't my mom. In case you didn't know,she's dead. So if you would be so kind, stop acting like it and get out my room."

"Whatever. It's your life and if you want to die, so be it. I was just trying to help,"he exclaims angrily and barges out of my room, loudly slamming the door behind him.

I just ignore the gratitude I feel towards him for being worries about me when no one else is and go back to sleep.

I suddenly remember that I have to go back to school tomorrow and a whole new wave of tears appears.

* * *

I wake up the next morning feeling not at all rested. I was kept awake all night by nightmares of Peter and Eric and watching my parents and Caleb die countless new, horrible ways.

My entire back is throbbing and I know immediately that I won't be running this morning or the rest of the day. I get dressed in some black skinny jeans and a loose royal blue t-shirt. I put on some spiked bracelets and my combat boots to finish the look. Hopefully no one will be able to bruises.

When I go to put on makeup, I look in the mirror. I look like Hell. My eyes are red and baggy from not sleeping and crying. I do my best to make myself look presentable by putting on mascara, eyeliner, and dabs over cover up to hide the bags under my eyes.

It's already time to leave for school by the time I get downstairs and Christina is waiting for me by her car. She tries to initiate conversation, but I make it pretty clear that I'm not in the mood by not responding to anything she says.

As soon as we get to the parking lot, I walk as quickly as by now fragile body will let me to my first class.

* * *

**Well guys, here is the next chapter of Make it Stop! I hope you all love this story as much as I do. I can't believe I didn't write a fanfic sooner because this one has been so much fun:)**

**Thank you MVL2000 for making me aware that my other chapter was in blob form.**

**And thanks to everyone else for the helpful feedback and criticism. I appreciate everything you have to say that could possibly make this story better.**

**Read on and stay classy:)**

**Love,Ty:)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter** **Eight**

**Tris's pov**

Almost the entire day goes by uneventfully. I fell asleep in the first three of them. Needless to say,by the time lunch time rolls around, I am very well rested. My body is still throbbing in pain and my movements are limited. I can't even turn around to tell someone to shut up without wincing or groaning, which then makes it totally unconvincing.

I meet Christina at the lunch line again and we both grab a tray and get our food. Another apple and sliced cake for me even though I didn't eat mine yesterday. When we get to the table, everyone else is already there, talking about Zeke's party Friday and stupid teachers and their retarded homework. I squish in between Christina and Four, which was the only seat left.I just start nibbling on my apple and let my mind go blank.

I'm brought back by a small hand on my back. I wince in pain and lean forward to get it off of me. The pressure on my back immediately disappears,but the extreme pain still remains. Hopefully no one heard that.

I look at Christina just in time to see her put her hand back by her side. "We have been saying your name for like five minutes, but you didn't say anything. We thought you were ignoring us at first, but you were just staring off into space. You okay?" Christina asks gently.

"Umm... yeah,I'm fine. Just thinking."I reassure her quickly even though fine is the farthest thing away from what I am. I look around the table and everyone has already gone back to their conversation. Except one person.

When I look at Four, he is staring right at me. My eyes lock into his and I can't seem to look away. His dark blue orbs are hypnotizing. He has a small frown on his face and he is staring at me with such an intensity that I feel like he is staring right through me. Which is how I know he saw right through my 'I'm fine' lie.

I don't want him to ask questions, so I go back to eating my apple, only to realize that I lost the small appetite I had in the first place. I put my apple back on my tray and quickly leave the lunch room, mumbling something about going to the bathroom. I throw my barely touched apple and untouched cake in the hugenormous trash bins and rush to the library.

I arrive and pull out my copy of "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green.(**A/N:You** **should** **definitely** **read** **it** **if you haven't already ****and** **be** **prepared** **for** **waterworks**!**)** As soon as I get a few pages into it and am absorbed into the lives of Hazel and Augustus, I am pulled from my reading bubble by someone tapping me on the arm.

I jump and turn around slowly, afraid of who might be behind me, rudely interrupting my personal time with my fictional characters. My eyes are tightly squeezed shut, so I don't know who it is until they start talking.

"Tris?" Four's voice starts out curiously and tenderly,"it's okay to open your eyes. I'm not going to hurt you. You don't have to be afraid of me." I exhale shakily and slowly open my eyes."Hey Four, what's up?" I try to say casually, but it comes out all choppy and breathy. I didn't realize just how scared I was. This is what Peter has already done to me.

"You can let yourself feel, it's just me here." And that is all it takes. I don't say anything, just collapse into his arms, silently sobbing. I don't know how I'm going to explain this later, but right now, I couldn't care less. I just want to feel loved by someone, anyone.

In a matter of a few short minutes, Four's shirt has a huge wet spot on it, but he is still holding tightly to me, one hand on my head and the other on my upper shoulders. Either he is purposely avoiding my back or this is just how he always holds girls.

I would hope for the former but then I would need to question how he knows that my back in severely damaged at the moment and I don't want to ruin this, so I don't dwell on it. My tears eventually dry up until the only ones left are the ones dried onto my face and soaked into Four's shirt. The bell ending lunch rang minutes ago, but Four didn't move, so neither did I.

"Thank you. And I'm really sorry about your shirt,"I say quickly to him,embarrassed that I just had a breakdown literally on him. My face is burning from the blush.

"Hey, look at me,"he brings his hand from my head to my chin and lifts it up to look straight at him. My eyes immediately lock into his,"I understand and I will be here whenever you need me. I know what it's like to be hurt."

He can't know about Peter! He just can't."I have no idea what you're talking about. I don't know what you mean by hurt. I'm fine."

"If that's what you call fine then you need to see a doctor,"he jokes weakly,"My shirt is evidence that you are totally not fine,"his tone is more serious now.

I've never seen this side of Four before. I've only seen his tough bravado and indifferent personality. Maybe this is the real Four and those are just walls that he puts up to protect himself from being hurt. And maybe, just maybe, we aren't all that different.

I am suddenly so embarrassed that I can't even look him in the eyes. I can't bear to see the amusement he surely has in them from the craziness of my sudden crying fit. I didn't even explain to him why I cried on him for like 20 minutes. It just surprises the hell out of me that he just sat there and held me. Like I didn't need to say a word to him to make him understand what I am going through right now.

I think back to how he held me, purposely avoiding my back. Maybe he really does understand. Or maybe he knows what Peter is doing to me. I was relatively quiet during the beating, but I did accidentally let a few noises escape me. When I look into his eyes again, I can't tell if he knows about Peter or not.

I can only hope that he doesn't. I don't need to get him involved in my problems. It would just get us both in trouble. I don't want to drag him down with me.

Part of me hopes that he does know, just so he can save me, but I immediately reprimand myself for thinking anyone would save me, especially someone like Four.

I finally decide it is time to go to class even thought I don't want to leave."Um,"I start quietly, not quite meeting his eyes,"we should probably head to art. I've made you late enough already."

He immediately shakes his head."It's not your fault I'm late," I start to interrupt,but he cuts me off,"I came in here to check on you. I came in here because I wanted to know that you were okay, which you obviously aren't. I wouldn't have come if I could deal with the consequences,"he raises his still soaked shirt to make a point. I'm surprised he isn't asking me what is wrong and why I just bawled in the middle of the library, but he doesn't. He understands. I don't know how, but he does.

"Well, we still have to get to class."

He smiles at me."If you insist."

We start heading to class when a thought pops into my head."You know that you can't tell anyone about that. I don't want people to think I'm weaker than I already know I am."

He abruptly stops walking, so I stop too."Tris, I haven't known you for very long...or talked to you very much, but I can already tell that you are so very strong. It takes a stronger person to cry than it does for someone to keep their emotions bottled up."

He seems to have something to add and smirks down at me."I promise not to tell anyone about it if you promise not to tell anyone that I'm actually a sweetheart. I have a reputation to uphold."

I laugh out loud at that."I pinky promise,"I say,holding my pinky up, totally serious.

He doesn't question my weird promising tactic, just goes along with it. He interlocks his pinky with mine. I feel tingles in my hand, but ignore it.

We arrive at class almost thirty minutes late. Tori almost says something to punish us, but she takes one look at my puffy, red eyes and closes he mouth after telling us to take a seat.

We sit where we did yesterday, right beside each other. She tells us to sketch the rest of the hour, whatever we want.

A little while later, I look at Four's paper and see that he has incredible talent that I had not expected. He is drawing a city scene. It look like the skyline of Chicago and it is entirely amazing. He got the details perfect. He just keeps getting better and better.

The rest of the hour, I just watch Four perfect his drawing. It is awe inspiring. He finally notices me staring at his amazing drawing and furrows his brow. I find myself thinking that I've never seen anything more adorable in my life, but tell myself that I need to quit having these thoughts. "What are you looking at? Is something wrong?" It's weird how he is so worried about me now, but it isn't bad. I kind of like it.

"No! You're art is just really incredible,"I respond.

He blushes, the tips of his ears and his cheeks turning pink. I was totally wrong about the adorable thing. This is it.

"Thanks Tris. I saw what you did yesterday and it was pretty amazing. I think you have me beat,"he tells factually, like if he were telling me the percentage of the chance of rain this afternoon.

Now it is my turn to blush. He just grins at me and turns back to his drawing. The bell rings a few minute later. Time to go to music class.

I walk in with Four and he sits beside me yet again. I can't find it in me to mind. I'm just surprised he would actually want to sit by me. Soon, Zeke comes to sit beside Four with Lynn and Shauna. Uriah and Christina sit on the other side of me.

"Okay guys. Listen up!"Tori yell to quiet us,"we are going to finish the contest today. Let's have the remaining people take their turns and then I will have all of you vote for ONE person you thought had the most talent."

Hands go up, but she continues."No, you may not vote for yourself,"half the hands go down.

"no, you may not vote for your friends unless they had extreme talent."the other half goes down.

"Alright,"Tori starts,"who's up?" One by one, we finish the rest of the turns. None of them were exceptional. I'm betting on Lynn and Four being the finalists. Tori addresses the class again,"Alright! Get a strip of paper and write who you think was the best and who deserves to win the hundred bonus points because of their talent!"

Everyone starts writing names on paper. I scribble down 'Four' and turn in the paper to Tori. He was the best and he deserves to win. Lynn was extremely good, but his voice just had something about it and he used it to its full advantage.

Once Tori has collected all of the papers, she starts reading them to herself and making tally marks on a piece of paper. After about five minutes, she is finished.

"Well,"she begins,"we have two clear winners! Usually I disagree with your decisions, you being teenagers and all, but this time I am all for it. These two absolutely deserve the chance to win 100 bonus points."

"And those two people are...Four..."there is a wave of applause for him. Obviously everyone else thought his voice was amazing too,"...and Tris!"

I am in shock. I didn't expect anyone to vote for me, but I hear just as much clapping for me as they did for Four. We are the finalists! I look at Four and he is looking right back at me, grinning.

I smile back at him. "Congratulations,"I tell him.

"You too."

Tori quiets everyone down."Okay guys! Time for the finalists to have their sing off! Four, since I called your name first, you are the first to go."

He picks up a guitar and starts singing and playing to one of my favorite songs. Pompeii by Bastille.

Eh-eh-o eh-o [6x]

I was left to my own devices

Many days fell away with nothing to show

And the walls kept tumbling down

In the city that we love

Great clouds roll over the hills

Bringing darkness from above

But if you close your eyes,

Does it almost feel like

Nothing changed at all?

And if you close your eyes,

Does it almost feel like

You've been here before?

How am I gonna be an optimist about this?

How am I gonna be an optimist about this?

We were caught up and lost in all of our vices

In your pose as the dust settled around us

And the walls kept tumbling down

In the city that we love

Great clouds roll over the hills

Bringing darkness from above

But if you close your eyes,

Does it almost feel like

Nothing changed at all?

And if you close your eyes,

Does it almost feel like

You've been here before?

How am I gonna be an optimist about this?

How am I gonna be an optimist about this?

Eh-eh-o eh-o [4x]

Oh where do we begin?

The rubble or our sins?

Oh oh where do we begin?

The rubble or our sins?

And the walls kept tumbling down

(oh where do we begin?)

In the city that we love

(the rubble or our sins?)

Great clouds roll over the hills

(oh where do we begin?)

Bringing darkness from above

(the rubble or our sins?)

But if you close your eyes,

Does it almost feel like

Nothing changed at all?

And if you close your eyes,

Does it almost feel like

You've been here before?

How am I gonna be an optimist about this?

How am I gonna be an optimist about this?

If you close your eyes,

does it almost feel like

nothing changed at all?

Eh-eh-o eh-o[8x]

After he finishes, I know that it is going to be a hard act to follow. He was spectacular. I can't compare it to anything else I've ever heard before. He knows how to work his voice in just the right way to make it sound not flawless, but perfect in a way that I wouldn't change a single thing.

Tori calls me up to stage next. When I walk up to stage I pass Four. Right before he is out of my reach, he grabs my hand. The tingles from the pinky promise are back full force. It's crazy how he can get such a reaction out of me even though I've only known him for a few days.

"Good luck,"he tells me.

"Thanks. You were amazing up there by the way."

I feel dumb for saying it, but I think it's appropriate since I did kind of just soak his shirt with my tears while he held me. I don't really think this crosses the line.

I go up there and sit at the piano. I though about it yesterday, and I think my mom would be proud of me for playing again. I put my fingers on the keys, and they feel so familiar. It feels like I never stopped playing. I begin to play Skinny Love by Birdy.

Come on skinny love just last the year,

Pour a little salt we were never here,

My my my, my my my, my-my my-my...

Staring at the sink of blood and crushed veneer.

Tell my love to wreck it all,

Cut out all the ropes and let me fall,

My my my, my my my, my-my my-my...

Right in the moment this order's tall.

And I told you to be patient,

And I told you to be fine,

And I told you to be balanced,

And I told you to be kind,

And in the morning I'll be with you,

But it will be a different kind,

'Cause I'll be holding all the tickets,

And you'll be owning all the fines.

Come on skinny love,

what happened here?

Suckle on the hope in light brassieres,

My my my, my my my, my-my my-my...

Sullen load is full, so slow on the split.

And I told you to be patient,

And I told you to be fine,

And I told you to be balanced,

And I told you to be kind,

And now all your love is wasted,

Then who the hell was I?

'Cause now I'm breaking at the britches,

And at the end of all your lines.

Who will love you?

Who will fight?

And who will fall far behind?

Come on skinny love,

My my my, my my my, my-my my-my...

My my my, my my my, my-my my-my.

I finish the song and feel fresh tears in my eyes,but I blink them back. I look to the class, but they don't clap. They just stare. I quickly walk back to my seat, embarrassed. Their eyes follow me and their head swivel to meet my movements.

Why aren't they doing anything? Was I that bad?They can either boo or clap. Anything would be better than nothing. I can't read any of the emotions on their faces.

Finally, Christina gets up and hug me."That was amazing girl." The class finally starts clapping, and it is deafening. I hadn't expected this.

I look to Tori and Four to see them clapping along with everyone else. I can't read their emotions either. Tori goes up to the microphone."Well,we have a clear winner. While Four's performance was fantastic, Tris,"she looks to me"you have so much talent. I've never seen that amount of emotion poured into a performance. There are no words to describe it. You are the winner, no question about it."

I bashfully look down and mumble a 'thanks.' Everyone is still staring at me, so I just look at the ground until Four taps on my shoulder. "That was the most amazing performance I have ever seen. You have crazy talent;you should do something with it. You really deserved to win,"he whispers.

"Thank you. That means a lot." I know he was joking in the hallway,but he really is a sweetheart. He let me cry on him, told me that my art was amazing, and now here he is telling me that I could make something of myself and my talent. No one but my mom has ever encouraged me like this before. It's refreshing.

The bell rings to end the day. There is no track practice today so I meet up with Christina and head to her car. We drive home talking about all kinds of thing and for once, I actually feel like a teenage girl.

* * *

**Thank you for all of y'alls feedback. It means so much to me that people actually like my story.**

**I tried putting some Fourtris in here as requested, so I hope it is okay. I haven't had a boyfriend since junior high. (Not because I can't get one, but because I don't really like people.) So I'm not the best at romance.**

**Thanks for reading and reviewing. I wouldn't be writing this story if y'all didn't.**

**Read on and stay classy:)**

**Love,Ty:) **


	9. Chapter 9

**To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.**

**-Ralph Waldo Emerson**

* * *

**Chapter** **Nine**

**Tris's pov**

Thursday and Friday go by as normal. I get through my classes with no trouble. I see everybody at lunch and they interrogate me as usual. The routine is becoming strangely comforting, something constant in my unpredictable life.

Peter has been out lately, going wherever he goes with Molly and his friend Drew. Probably to sell drugs or terrorize little kids. But at least I haven't had to deal with him since last time. My body is still sore from that night. I'm not used to being so brutally hurt. What Eric did to me was worse, but this has a worse effect on my body.

Right as Christina and I get home from school, she grabs me tightly by the arm and drags me to her room.

"Christina! What the hell are you doing?"I yell, "let me go!"

She finally pushes me into a chair in front of a mirror. I'm relieved she isn't restricting the blood flow of my arm until I see her pull out a rope. I try to run away, but she pushes me back down roughly and starts wrapping the rope around both me and the chair quicker than lightning. "Zeke's party is tonight and I'm going to make you look sexy!"She screams.

"Well, don't you think this was just a bit dramatic? Tying my down to a freaking chair?"

"I know for a fact that you don't like makeup, so I didn't want to take my chances,"she responds.

"How did you know that I don't like makeup?"I ask, confused. The only times I wear makeup are when I need to cover something like bags under my eyes, like the day after Peter first beat me, my first night here.

"The only people that don't wear makeup are the ones that aren't used to it. Once you start wearing it, you never go back."

"Like the saying 'once you go black, you never go back'?" I question.

"Well doesn't Little Miss Trissy just catch on so fast,"she says in a baby voice.

I growl at her, but let her do my makeup instead of fighting. I hate makeup, but maybe she can make me look at least the least bit pretty. That would take a miracle. She turns me away from the mirror so I can't see her 'masterpiece'.

I move so much when she starts to put on the foundation that she has to practically sit frontwards on my lap and hold my face with one hand while she puts the shit on with the other. I have finally stopped squirming my the time I have foundation, powder, and blush on.

She starts to put the eye shadow on, but I flinch as soon as it comes into contact with my eye lid. "Hey, calm down,"she says,"this is the worst part since its like touching your eye. Most people tend to get pretty jumpy their first time. Just relax and keep your eyes closed."

I reluctantly do and she say -or the best I can. I jump every once in a while. I'm not accustomed to people using pokey things near my eyeballs. It sounds extremely dangerous and potentially painful.

The next thing is so much worse. Eyeliner. I've tried putting on before, but I kept on stabbing myself in the eye, so that was out of the question. She senses my reluctance and warns me to keep my eyes open. She touches it to my eye, and I twitch.

"Calm the hell down! I'm not trying to kill you!"She yells after the fourth try. She finally gets me to keep my eyes open for long enough for her to put it on me. It's awful!

"Okay! I'm done, now you make marvel at my greatness!"She says.

I start to say how she can't make me the least bit pretty, but she cuts me off by turning me around to face the mirror. And I am shocked speechless. She didn't make me pretty. Or beautiful. Or sexy. She made me striking.

"Chris,"I start in an awed voice,"this is amazing. How did you do this."

"Well, believe it or not, you gave me a lot to work with. I don't know how you don't see it, but you are beautiful."

I'm not saying I agree with her, but when she says it like that, it makes it a lot more believable. When I look at myself again, I'm still completely shocked at my own reflection. She didn't cover my flaws, only enhanced them and used them to their fullest extent.

She used a nude, sparkly lip gloss to make my average lips shine. She used the blush to make my pale face look like it has the least bit of color, but she made it look natural. But what gets me are my eyes.

She used a shiny gold and deep black to make a smoky eye and bring out the gold flecks in my eyes, which nobody can ever see. She used dark blue eyeliner to enhance my eyes. They are striking. The dark blue eyeliner makes my usually indistinct eyes pop.

I am finally noticeable, and once I establish that, I realize I like it. I'm so sick and tired of being a nobody. A skinny, short girl that nobody knows and could be mistaken for half the people on the planet. I'm tired of not being important and seen. I want to be special, and what Christina just did with my makeup makes me feel that way, when if only for a little while.

She finally gets me to stop gawking at myself in the mirror and walks to he closet, still not untying me. She gets out a short black dress with long sleeves. I'm not sure, but I think this could be the perfect think to cover my back. Even though I'm not crazy about the length, I tell her I will try it on anyways. She unties me from the chair and drags me by the arm to the bathroom.

Once we get there, she pushes me, the dress, and some black flats in and closes the door as fast as she can, like I might try to escape or something. Normally I would, but right now, I feel beautiful, so I'm going to try this damn dress on and have fun at that party!

After undressing, I pull the dress onto my body, avoiding the cuts that Peter inflicted that still haven't healed. Once the dress is on, it only comes to right above my mid thigh, but I'm so far passed caring. I turn around and see that it covers my back perfectly. The neckline is a little low for my taste, but I can deal with it.

I step out the door to Christina, and she immediately squeals. "Omg,Tris! You look sexy! I knew this dress would be hot on you! And once again, you may admire my skills of perfection."

I just smile and roll my eyes."Thank you so much Christina. I feel really beautiful, and I haven't felt that in a really long time."

"Well I think you deserve to feel beautiful all the time. You're gorgeous babe! Now sit down or I will be forced to tie you up again."

I do as she says. She ends up curling my long, dull blond hair. When she finishes, my usually extraordinary hair is in amazing, perfect ringlets. She adds hairspray as a final touch then goes to the closet for her outfit.

I grin at her."So what are you going to wear? Something sexy for Will?"

"You know it,girl!" She ends up with a dark red dress that is so revealing it makes me blush and some tall black pumps. Her hair is already curly from school, so she spends about thirty minutes doing he makeup. When she finishes, she looks even more amazing than before.

We go to her car and head to Zeke's house for my first ever party. It's crazy that I'm not nervous about it. I always thought I would be. We drive for about 10 minutes and park one the side of the street. The music is so loud that I could hear it minutes before we got here. We start walking towards the huge house that the music is coming from.

Christina doesn't even knock on the door, just goes right in like she has done it a million times before. I then remind myself that she probably has. We are greeted by what looks to be a very drunk Zeke with a red solo cup of who knows what in it.

"Hullu Tristina and Chris! I'm so glad you came." Okay, maybe he's just tipsy. Besides the name part, his sentence was pretty comprehendable.

"And may I say so myself, you girls look sexy as fuck! Tris! Since when do you show off how hot you are? I always knew you had it, you should show it more often."

I blush deep red and mumble out a 'thanks.' Christina leans down to my ear and yells over the noise,"I'm gonna go find Will! You gonna be okay here by yourself?"

I just roll my eyes at her and give her a playful shove."Go get him tiger!"

She weaves her way through the crowd until I've lost her in the sea of people surrounding me. I decide I need something to drink, so I try to find a kitchen in this freaking hugenormous house. I try squeezing my way through the people, but they just try to dance with me.

One boy,obviously drunk, grabs me aggressively by my waist, his hands heavily resting on my aching back. "Hey babe. How about you and I get out of here?"

I wince loudly due to the pain and he must hear it, because he digs his nails into it further, pushing right into one of the worst cuts, definitely, excruciatingly ripping it open again. I then scream out, loud enough for a few people to look, but the music is so loud that no one else really hears. I try to get away, but the pain only increases.

But all at once, the hands are of of me.

I turn around to see Four pummeling the boy who was hurting me. He is sending countless blows into his nose, ribs, chest, anywhere he can. He won't let up and I'm afraid that Four is going to kill the boy. Just as Four is about to send another punch, I gently put a hand on his arm.

He immediately turns to look at me and takes my breath away. His pupils are dialated so much that his eyes are almost fully black. I can barely see the beautiful dark blue that usually calm me down. He abruptly stands up and shakes his head, like he is shaking himself out of a trance.

He looks at me fleetingly and runs up the stairs, leaving me alone with a very bloody and bruised boy. I leave the douche boy to go find Four. I run up the stairs as quickly as I can with my newest injury of a reopened wound. I have to avoid moving my upper body as much as possible. I get up the stairs and am pleasently surprised by the lack of people up here. It must be off limits or something.

I find the only door with a light on and open it slowly. I see Four holding his bloody hand under the sink, his head down. I don't think he has noticed me yet. I slowly step into the bathroom."Hey."

He doesn't look at me, only begins to speak."I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lose it like that. I just saw him hurting you and I...I...I saw red. I wanted to kill him. And I would have if you hadn't stopped me."

I can't believe he thinks he did something wrong. He just stopped someone from hurting me. Who knows what else that guy would have done if Four hadn't come and stopped him.

"Hey, do **not** apologize to me for something like that. He was hurting me and you saved me from further pain. I should be thanking you."

"Don't thank me for hurting someone. Nobody should ever be hurt,"he states looking meaningfully into my eyes, seemingly reminding me of all the pain I've been through, even though he doesn't know the half of it.

"Do you know what else he would have done to me? If you hadn't gotten him away from me, things could be a whole lot worse right now."

"Are you okay? Why did you scream? What did he do to you? I can still go kill him if you need me to."He says in a rush, completely disregarding hemispheres nonviolence lecture.

I remember that my back is torn open and throbbing, but it isn't like I can tell him that or I would have to tell him where I got the belt slashes. I just hope it isn't bleeding too bad, so it won't show through my dress. I'll probably have to find a way to find a way to stop the bleeding without anyone knowing.

"I'm fine, thanks to you," I lie. He instantly calls my bluff and a look of concern covers his face. I need to change the subject before he starts asking questions."Let's go back downstairs. I'm thirsty."I state walking out of the bathroom and down the steps, not waiting for his response.

I quickly find my way to the kitchen and search for a drink. All I can find in beer, so I settle for that. I've never had one or been drunk, but tonight is as good of a night as any. I take a sip and try to get past the bitter taste. I take a few more sips and find myself enjoying it. I quickly gulp down the rest and grab another.

I'm about to take my first sip when a hand stops me. I look up only to find Zeke with an amused expression on his face. "Have you ever had one of these before?"

"No, but there's a first time for everything," I joke, already feeling light headed. I guess this is the effect of drinking a beer in like 20 seconds flat.

He laughs. "You might want to slow down if you don't want to throw up everywhere and wake up feeling like you got hit by a train... or you can come play Kings Cup and wake up feeling like you got hit by an even bigger train!"

I groan playfully and agree. He starts to usher me to the main room and puts a hand on the small of my back. I jump back and wince. I'm about to explain myself,with a lie of coarse, when I turn back around, but am stopped in my tracks.

Zeke is looking down at the hand he had on my back. It is covered in blood. My blood.

It isn't dripping or anything, but it is all over the palm of his hand. There is absolutely no way to explain this. "On second thought, I better get home and go to bed. I'm pretty exhausted. You wouldn't believe how tired being tied up to a chair while Christina makes you pretty makes you."

I quickly weave through the people and find Christina."Hey I'm leaving, can I have your car keys? And can you just get a ride home with Will or someone?"

"You're going already? We just got here. And you look smokin' hot!"

I fake a smile."I'm just tired and really need to get home."

"Okay,"she responds. She then gracefully dips her hand into her bra and pulls out her car keys. I take them without question even though it is gross and couldn't have been comfortable.

I quickly make my way out to the car and start to drive away. I am rudely interrupted by a banging on the car. It's Zeke. Again. I don't have any lies thought out to tell him to get him to not ask questions about my bloody back, so I keep driving.

"What happened?"He screams at me through the window.

I stop the car and roll the window down to talk to him. "Please just stop asking questions. I'll be fine, just please don't tell anyone. I'm begging you."

I can tell that he doesn't understand, but he must be more drunk than I thought because he nods his head in agreement."I won't for now, but later I want an explanation. Just keep yourself safe, okay?"

"Thanks Zeke. For everything."

And at the I speed of towards the house, trying to fight the dizziness from the blood loss. I must be bleeding a lot. I need to get home quick. I grab one of the jackets that I left in here on the way to school and put it under me and behind my back so that I don't stain Christina's seats and so that she won't ask questions.

I make it to the house in just under five minutes because I drove like 90 miles per hour the whole way. I hop out of the car, grab my bloody jacket, and make my way to my room. I peel the skin tight dress off of my body, which proves to be a pain. It is suctioned to my back and it is stuck to the skin of the bleeding wound.

I pull it off like a bandaid and scream into my clenched teeth, muffling the noise. I hold the dress in my hands and see the blood dripping off of it. I run it under the sink water for almost five minutes trying to get as much as I can out. I'm finally satisfied with the outcome and feel a sense of victory until I look to the floor.

It is red under my feet. I look at my legs to see the blood running rapidly down them. I turn around to see my back I'm the mirror and can't contain the gasp that escapes me.

The once scanned over wound is now torn ragged and pouring blood. This is obviously going to be a major problem. The first thing I need to do is stop the bleeding. I quickly grab a towel and press it to my back even though it hurts to do so.

After about 10 minutes, I pull it off. The bleeding has slowed down considerably. Enough for me to get cleaned up. I turn the shower on scalding hot and step in. The steam rises all around me as I wash my aching body. The water, like magic, helps numb it. I finally have to sit down because I am so dizzy from all of that blood loss. I can't believe I haven't passed out yet.

After what seems like forever I finally decide to get out since the water has turned cold. I get out of the shower and look at my back in the mirror again and am overcome with relief.

The bleeding has completely stopped. I wipe up the excess blood everywhere and puddle of it off the floor with the towel that I used to stop the bleeding . I'll need to throw it away because I will never be able to get that out or explain it. Christina's dress will be fine after a wash since it is black.

I change into boxer shorts and a huge one of my dad's old t-shirts that I brought with me. I've had it since right before my first foster home. Before I was placed, they let me go back to our house and pack my things and I packed some of Caleb's books, Mom's favorite music, and a couple of Dad's shirts along with all of the things I needed.

When I smell the shirt, it still smells like him. It's so comforting.

After quickly sneaking downstairs and throwing away the towel in the garbage outside and putting Christina's dress in the washer, I quietly make my way back to my room. I fall into the bad, careful not to further irritate the cuts and finally succumb to the dizziness and tiredness I've been feeling from the blood loss.

My last thought before I fall into unconsciousness is 'that was a really bad party.'

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**Thank y'all for all the reviews and positive feedback!**

**This story is so much fun to write and I'm glad that y'all enjoy it:) This chapter is over 3000 words and one of my new favorites:)**

**A special shout out to melC92! Thank you for all your inspiration and freaking fantastic ideas.**

**If y'all want to read the most amazing Hunger Games fanfiction, I highly suggest Sever by DendelionSunset. I guarantee that it will Blow. Your. Mind.**

**Please keep reviewing and reading my story.**

**Read on and stay classy:)**

**Love,Ty:)**


	10. Chapter 10

"I'm not saying that everything is survivable. Just that everything except the last thing is." John Green

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** Chapter** **ten**

**Zeke's** **pov**

Ever since the party yesterday, I could stop thinking about the blood that appeared on my hand after I put my hand on Tris's back. I know that I was a little tipsy, but the image of her blood almost dripping off of my hand is imprinted into my mind. What could have made her bleed to the point where it was seeping through the back of her dress?

I should never have let her leave. I know I tried to get her to stop, but in the end, I just let her drive off. I'm almost positive she is somewhere hurt. What if she didn't make it home last night? It would be all my fault if anything happened to her. I need to know that she's okay.

Tris has only been at our school for a little while, but I already consider her one of us. I feel protective of her, like a big brother. I can't just sit here not knowing if she is alright or not. I decide to call Christina.

She picks up on the fifth ring."Hello?" She sounds groggy, like she just woke up. It's like 10:00. She usually wakes up way earlier than this. Maybe she just drank too much last night.

"Hey Chris, I was wondering if you knew where Tris was. She d Went home really suddenly last night. Is she alright?" I don't want to tell Christina about the blood just yet. I love her like a sister, but she can't ever keep her mouth shut.

"Are you seriously waking me up just to see if Tris made it home? Couldn't you have waited just a little while? I have a killer hangover and I want to sleep for as long as humanly possible." She sounds mad, but right now I don't care. I need to know if Tris is okay.

"Just check on her please? For me?"

"Whatever. You owe me one."

I hear footsteps and the slam of a door, then more footsteps. I hear her opening another door. It must be Tris's. "Yes, Zeke. Tris is fast asleep in her bed. I could have told you that before you made me GET OUT OF MY BED! My car was in the garage last night when I got back. I already knew she was home."

Her attitude is starting to piss me off."Wouldn't you have wanted to know if anything had happened to her? She left really abruptly without telling anyone why."I say, again leaving out the real reason I was so concerned.

She buffs. "Of course I would. Well, I'm going back to bed. Bye Zeke." And with that, she hangs up. I guess she's okay if she in bed sleeping. That has gotta mean she was okay enough to get into bed. I'll wait until Monday to confront her about it. Until then, I might as well do something fun.

I go to Four's, which just so happens to be Tris's house also, so I guess I could have checked on her myself instead of waking Christina up to do it. I pull up at their mansion and let myself in, like I've done a million times before. Four and I have been friends since he moved here in tenth grade. He had already been to a few foster homes before that, but he always liked it here the best. Max doesn't mind keeping him, so Four will stay here until he turns 18 and is out of the foster system.

I walk into the kitchen and see Four guzzling water like he hasn't had any in months. He must have just gotten back from a run. He turns to me when he is finally done."What's up?"

"Let's go get tattoos." I say, excited. To anybody else, this would be a weird request. But almost everyone at school has tattoos, most of them are just hidden by their clothes.

"Okay. I've been wanting another for a while now. I'll go get a shower and then we'll leave." He run up the steps to take a shower and comes back down five minutes later, dressed in jeans and a plain black t-shirt. He grabs his keys and says,"My car."

We get to Tori's tattoo parlor in about ten minutes. We have been getting tattoos at Tori's since last year. I have two small ones and Four has one that covers his entire back. He has never let me see it, and I respect that, even though I don't know why he won't let anyone see his back. Except for Tori. He is always so much more open around Tori, she is like a mom to him.

Tori smiles when she sees us."Back for more boys?"

"Of course. You know we can't stay away from you Tori."I jokingly respond.

"I get that a lot. So what do you guys want?"

"I was thinking a dragon on my bicep,"I say.

"Good choice."She tells me.

"What about you Four?"

"I want some flames along my side. Right here."he says, pulling up his shirt and pointing to his entire left side.

"I think that sounds like a great idea. They are going to look awesome."she says, now addressing the both of us. She calls in Bud, the other tattoo artist, and we each take a seat in the tattoo chairs, Four in the one right beside me. Four pulls off his shirt after sitting down so that Tori can do the tattoo on his side, but he sits back too quickly for me to get a glance at his back.

They start tracing the outlines in pen after the rub antiseptic on our chosen tattoo spots to make sure they are clean and don't get infected later on. After we approve of what the outlines look like, they get started, and we all start talking.

"Four, your performance the other day was amazing. I've heard you sing before, but I've never heard you sing like that. Tris's performance was just unlike anything I've ever heard before. I still can't believe such a big voice came from such a little girl."Tori says.

"Thanks Tor. I'm still really glad that Tris won. She really deserved it. I've never heard someone put that much emotion into a song. You could tell that singing and playing the piano are really special to her. She looked so confident up on that stage. That's the first time I've seen her look comfortable in her own skin."

It's pretty obvious now that Four has been paying a lot of attention to Tris. Tori must notice too. "Wow, Four. It isn't like you to talk like you're writing a fortune cookie."she jokes.

"It's what she does to me. I don't know what it is about her, I just want to pay attention to everything she does, how she reacts, what she likes. I never noticed a girl until she came along." Wow. He's in deep.

"You totally like her. And I give my blessing to you both. I absolutely approve of Tris. From what I've seen, she's pretty amazing."Tori says.

"That means a lot Tor. You know you are like my mom,"he replies.

"I don't know if I'll need it anyways. She was acting really weird at the party. This dude, some sophomore, was grabbing her pretty roughly and she screamed. I don't know what he did, but I just lost it. I swear I would have killed him is she hadn't stopped me."

"When I asked her why she screamed, she totally avoided my question and said she was thirsty. She just ran back downstairs. She acted really weird, like she was trying to hide something from me. I tried to follow her, but I couldn't find her. When I asked Christina where she was later, she said that Tris had already left."

The whole time their conversation is going on, the blood on my hand from her back keeps popping into my head. I can't even begin to imagine what it came from. I don't want to tell anyone and make her perpetually mad at me, but at the same time, I need more opinions. I finally speak up."Umm, guys...speaking of Tris acting weird at that party on Friday, I need to get something off of my chest and I need you both to tell me what you think I should do afterwards."

They both look at me, worried, but nod their heads for me to continue.

"I went into the kitchen to get me something else to drink and I ran into her in the kitchen. She was on at least he second beer. So we talked for a little bit and I invited her to play Kings Cup with all of us."

I take a deep breath and keep going. "She said okay, so I went to usher her into where we were playing. When I put my hand on her back, she winced, so I took it off. I was a little tipsy, but I was not hallucinating or anything. When I looked back at my hand, it was covered in her blood. I had just barely touched her back, but it was seeping out of her dress."

They have identical looks of horror on their faces.

I want to get this over with, so I finish out the story. "Then she got all worried and made an excuse to leave, saying she was tired because Christina has tied her to a chair and forced her to wear makeup. Then she just ran away. I tried to get through the crowd to ask her for an explanation, but Christina said that she was leaving."

"I ran out there and caught up to her just as she was driving away. I finally got her to stop and asked her about it, but she just told me not to tell anyone about it. I didn't know what else to do, so I agreed. Then this morning, I was really worried about her, so I called Christina and made her check on Tris and she said that she was sleeping in her bed. I figured she was okay for now, but I really have no clue what to do. Why would she have so much blood on her at a party?"

**Four's** **pov**

I can't think. I can barely even hear Zeke through the entire story. What could have happened to her that would have given her a bloody back? How could I have not known when we talked upstairs?

Tori is the first to speak up."Maybe she wasn't hurt by someone, maybe it was self-inflicted."

"No! Tris would never do anything like that. She is way too strong to let that happen,"I respond.

"What other explanation is there as to why she was bleeding at a party. Why would she have even come to a party if she knew she was hurt?"Tori asks. I start going through options in my head and none of them are reasonable answers.

And then it hit me. "Someone else hurt her and she already knew about it, she just didn't expect it to start bleeding again. That's the only reason she would act so weird and run out so quickly."

Now it is Zeke's turn to talk. "She didn't even act surprised when she saw my hand. She just looked really scared, like she didn't want me to find out whatever she is hiding. And she made me promise not to tell, so that's even more reason to believe that she already knew about it. She didn't get hurt at my party, she got hurt before."

All of this reminds me of Marcus. Of what he used to do to me, and it makes sense. Something similar is happening to Tris. Someone is hurting her, and a wound reopened at the party. I can't stand the thought of my Tr- I mean, Tris going through the same thing that I had to go through for most of my life. She doesn't deserve it.

"Someone is hurting her and she is too afraid to say anything about it." I look to Tori. "Tor, we have got to help her. It isn't going to stop, she's being abused. I know that she isn't going to tell anyone because she's too scared. I know what its like Tor. We have to do something."

I see Zeke's eyes widen when I saw 'I know what it's like.' Maybe it's finally time to tell him. I should have told him a long time ago, I just didn't want him to be my friend out of pity. Before he can say anything, I ask Tori if I can stand up. She say,"Yeah, both of you are done. We finished a while ago." I stand up and turn around, my back facing Zeke. I hear him walking up behind me and I hear a gasp. "What happened?"

"My dad. He used to abuse me. That's why I'm in foster care." It's feels good to be r about it. No sugar coating it. I am still reluctant to give too many details away. It will take a while before I tell him the whole story.

"What are these marks from?"He asks.

"What aren't they from? Sometime it was a belt, leather or metal side, sometimes it was his keys, or a burning fire poker, or anything else he could get his hands on."

Even though there is a giant tattoo covering them, they are still visible. "Why didn't you tell me before?"

I feel bad for not telling Zeke, I just wasn't ready. "The only person I ever told is Tori, and that was because she tattooed my back. She needed and explanation. I'm sorry I never told you, I just didn't want you to be my friend out of pity."

"Man, that would never happen. We're brothers." This could have turned out a lot worse. I feel so much better now that I've told him.

"I hate to break this up,"Tori interrupts, "but, what are we going to do about Tris? We can't just leave her to get hurt. Where is she right now?"

Zeke answers her."She was in bed sleeping when we left to come here."

"Well, let's get your tattoos patched up and we are going to go talk to Tris."

After Tori finishes, we ride in my car to the house. I don't know what we are going to do once we get to Tris, but we have to try something. I can't stand the thought of just ignorantly letting the abuse continue. I'm sure that's what it is -abuse. It's the only logical explanation as to why she would act like that at the party. She ran out so quickly and totally avoided my questions when I tried to ask if she was alright and what happened to make her scream.

I know that Tris would never hurt herself. I can't believe Tori even suggested it. Tris is above that. She is too strong to let people get to her that much. I just wish she knew that she could come to me for anything. After that day after lunch, I thought that maybe she felt that she could trust me.

We quietly let ourselves into Tris's room where she is still fast asleep in her bed. It's almost 11:30. Tris always wakes up early, so why is she still asleep? I don't want to wake her up, but we need to talk.

I look at Zeke and Tori and tell them to be quiet and that I'm going to wake her up. Her back is facing up, covered by the blanket, but her face is turned towards me. I kneel by her bed and move her hair out of her face. That's when I notice that something is off.

She is so pale and her breathing is shallow. I put my hand on her shoulder, avoiding her back since it seems to be the place where she is hurt, and slightly shake her. "Tris,"I say quietly.

She doesn't move. It is starting to scare me. I shake her a little harder, but she still doesn't do anything.

I say her name louder. "Tris, wake up." Still, nothing happens. I feel her pulse, and its weak. We need to get he help.

I look at Zeke and Tori."She's barely breathing and her pulse is weak. We need to get her to a hospital, now."

They run over to me, worried. I start to pick her up to carry her to the car. But when I pull the covers away from her, I'm absolutely horrified by what I see. Tris's giant shirt is stuck to her body, glued by blood. What was a gray shirt, is now scarlet red. It is still oozing out. It's so much blood. It's too much blood.

That is why she won't wake up. She's losing too much blood. I do the impossible and peel the shirt away from her back to see what is causing it. I have to turn away as soon as I see it so that I won't throw up or scream.

"What the hell?" Zeke says. I just shake my head, disgusted that this happened to her.

Her entire back is covered in slashes. The flesh is torn ragged and running up the entire length of her back. I know from experience that they came from a belt. They look relatively fresh. The majority of the blood is coming from one of the worst wounds. It covers from her shoulder blade all the way to her lower back.

I don't realize I'm crying until I can't see anymore. The colors are blurring together, but even now, all I can see is the red of her back. There is so much blood. We need to get her to a hospital.

I dry my tears and gingerly lift her up over my shoulder to avoid her back. She is so light even though she is dead weight. She must not even weight 100 pounds. I easily carry her downstairs and to the car. I give Tori the keys to drive to the hospital and sit in the back seat with Tris, her lying across my lap to avoid her back. Tori starts the car and starts speeding off to the hospital.

I can't believe this is actually happening right now. I can't believe anyone could ever hurt someone like Tris. If I ever find out who did it, they are going to wish they were dead if I don't actually kill them first.

Tris still isn't moving the entire way to the hospital, even though I try to shake her. I even talk to her.

"Tris,"I whisper into her hair. "It's going to be okay. It will get better. I promise you. Just hold in there a little longer. We're getting you help, you are going to be fine. And then I'm going to kill the bastard that did this to you. Just hang on for a **little** while longer. Don't leave me."

I'm saying these word to reassure myself as much her. I need for her to be okay. I need her to survive this. Tori squeals into the hospital parking lot and stops in front of the doors for me to carry Tris into the hospital. And that is exactly what I do.

I get out of the car, moving her head out of my lap, and then carefully maneuver her to lay in my arms without touching her back. And I sprint into the hospital. I get in and there is nobody in the entry, I don't see a single doctor or nurse, not even a janitor.

"Help! I need help!"I scream.

A nurse comes rushing to me. She takes one look at Tris and yells for someone to get a stretcher.

"What happened?"she asks. "She lost a lot of blood and she's unconscious. She won't respond to anything I do. She has to live."

I realize that I am crying again. The nurse's eyes soften and she takes Tris from my arms, not even asking why she is losing blood. Maybe she thinks I'll explode or something.

She starts to wheel Tris off, away from me.

"I need to go with her!"I scream. "Let me go with her!"

"Sir, you need to stay in the waiting room, we can't help her if you are there,"she says calmly.

I am helpless. I sink to my knees and sob. I haven't cried like this since I was little. I didn't even cry like this when I watched Marcus murder my mother.

What did Tris ever do to deserve being hurt like that. She unconscious. I can't lose her.

I hear footsteps and feel Tori sink down next to me. She doesn't say anything, just wraps her arms around me and kisses my forehead. "Shh. She's gonna be alright. She's okay."

"She's hurt. You saw her b-b-back. What is she d-doesn't make it. What if she isn't o-okay? How could someone d-d-do this to her?"

"I know baby. It's okay." She continues whispering comforting word in my ears until the rest of the world falls away and I fall the deep, empty darkness of sleep.

**Thank y'all so much for all the review!**

**Most of the credit for the ideas in this chapter goes to melC92. Thank you for being so fricken fantastic and a genius. I couldn't have done this without you suggestions.**

**I would also like to give a shout out to teentastic for answering all of my questions, no matter the time or subject. You give me something to do during the day.**

**This is a really dramatic chapter and I absolutely love it! It is my favorite yet:) **

**It's pretty long, which always makes me happy with other fanfics, so I hope it makes y'all happy too.**

**It is my longest fanfic yet! Over four thousand words!**

**I love writing this story, so I hope y'all love reading it. **

**A reviewer asked how often I updated, so here is the answer: I update as soon as I finish the chapter. Most of the time it is once or twice a week. I try to update as often as possible, but I can only write so fast. I put a lot of work into this fanfic, so I want to take my time on it and make it up to y'alls standard.**

**And I really need to keep writing so that this chapter is actually over four thousand words, even though I already told y'all that it was. I need seven more words. And three, two, one! This chapter is officially over 4000 words:)**

**Always leave a review after reading, good or bad. They make me happy!**

**Read on and stay classy:)**

**Ty:) **


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter** **Eleven**

**Tori's** **Pov**

Four has been pacing the hallways like crazy ever since he woke up. He won't listen to Zeke or me when we tell him that he needs to sit down or get something to eat.

I was so surprised when he broke down like that. He has never done anything like that, at least not in front of me. It hurt to see him so broken;he is usually so strong. He cares so much for Tris, and now that she is hurt, it is like he is too. I think he feels guilty that he didn't notice that something was seriously wrong with Tris when he talked to her at the party. I hate that he blames himself.

I'm happy that he at least got a little sleep, right after we got here and after he cried in my arms. He slept for almost an hour after Zeke and I carried him to a stretcher that was out in the hallway. I'm pretty sure that it wasn't allowed, but who cares? It's not like they were using it.

We have been out here in the waiting room for three hours and there hasn't been any news about Tris. It's literally driving Four crazy. He thinks that the longer she's in there, the worse her injuries are or the more things there are going wrong.

I don't know what happened to Tris to make her bleed enough for her to pass out, but I hate that something like that has happened to her. From what I have seen, Tris is a really amazing girl, especially since she has the effect she does on Four. She must be really special for him to care so much about her.

I can't stand the thought of her being left in a place where she is only being abused. She doesn't deserve it, no one does. I'm going to make sure she gets out of there and gets the kind of life that she deserves. Both her and Four.

I hear the automatic doors open into the emergency waiting room and look up to see a brunette woman with a scar running down the entire side of her face. I expect her to keep walking or at least sit down in a chair, but she comes to stand right next to me. I look at her quizzically. Then she starts to speak. "Hi, I'm Johanna Reyes, Beatrice Prior's case worker. I understand that she has been admitted to this hospital by a Tori Wu? Is that you?" Zeke looks up and Four finally stops his pacing to stare at her, probably wondering how the hell we are going to explain this.

"Yes, I am Tori," I respond.

"I'm going to need to ask you and these boys a few questions about this incident."

"I won't be much help, but of course I will do my best to tell you anything I know,"I tell her politely.

She starts walking towards the hallway, so we follow her. She finally stops at a metal door and leads us into a room full of chairs and tells us to have a seat. She stays standing.

She addresses Zeke and Four. "I need you boys to tell me everything you know about what happened to Beatrice. Don't leave anything out, not even any tiny details that you may think are not important. I need to know everything."

Zeke goes first. He tells her almost exactly what he told Four and me at the tattoo parlor. The story is still just as horrifying as it was the first time. The entire time, she just shakes her head and writes in a small yellow and red notebook, looking unphased. I guess case workers get used to this kind of thing.

Then it is Four's turn. He tells Johanna the story he told us at the parlor, but when he is finished, he looked like he is contemplating something.

Johanna caught on to it immediately. "What is it? Remember, everything is important. This could help Beatrice immensely."

He seems hesitant, but ultimately decides to come out with the truth. "Well, this may not be helpful, but I guess it's worth a shot. On Tuesday, the day after she got to Max's foster home, she had to run a race against me. But she was wearing a hoodie, which isn't allowed in gym, so the coach made her take it off, which left her in only her sports bra,"he blushed as he said it, which was unusual for Four. I've never seen him so flustered.

"I don't think anyone but me noticed it, but I saw some bruises on her. There was a big, dark one on her rib cage and she had others scattered across her body. I had kind of just figured she had gotten them from before she came to the foster home. I didn't, and still don't know what kind of situation she came from. I don't know if it was that kind."

Johanna interrupts him. "Her parents died in a car crash along with her brother, Caleb. She was the only survivor."

**Four's** **pov**

"Her parents died in a car crash along with her brother, Caleb. She was the only survivor." Johanna rattles off as if she is reporting the weather.

I let this fresh wave of shock crash over me. I hadn't expected that. I had expected that maybe her parents could no longer care for her. That would have been easier for Tris to handle. Not them being dead.

What really gets me though is that she was the only survivor of her entire family, whom she must have loved greatly. What I look at as extreme luck that Tris survived and is still here today, she probably turns into guilt that she survived. That she was the one who lived. That she couldn't take one of their places. I can't imagine the guilt she must feel.

As much as I am ashamed to even think it, I am so grateful that it wasn't Tris that died in that crash. I know that sounds selfish and insensitive, but it's true. Now that I have Tris as a part of my life, I can't imagine her not one. At the very least, she is my friend. I have shown her the side of me that I have never shown anyone else. Ever. I am glad that she is the one who lived.

Johanna looks at me expectantly, waiting for me to finish, like I'm not having mental issues at the moment. When she realizes that I am done, she says, "Thank you Four. That may be very helpful in this investigation."

She turns toward all of us. "Anything else that any of you have noticed that may have been strange or out of the ordinary?"

Zeke is the one to remember something. I expect him to look at Johanna and tell her, but he looks at me instead. "Tell her about th lunch the other day. I don't know all of it, but I know that you probably do since you followed Tris."

The lunch! I totally forgot about Tris's major break down.

I turn to Johanna and start to replay the story. "The other day, Tris kind of had a break down at school. At the lunch table, she was sort of zoned out, not paying attention to anything around her. We were saying her name, but she wasn't responding. Christina finally managed to get her attention... by touching her on her back. Oh my gosh, Christina touched her back! That must have been what set her off."

"That helps right? That now we know that Tris's back was hurt on Wednesday? And possibly Tuesday since I know she had the bruises then. It must have happened Monday if the bruises were other on Tuesday."I tell Johanna.

She nods her head and scribbles vigorously in her notebook yet again. She looks at me to continue. "Anyways, we asked Tris if she was okay and she said that she was fine, which she obviously wasn't. Then she just got up and left. I knew she wasn't feeling right or that something was wrong, so I followed her. She went to the library and started reading, but she still looked really upset, so I got her attention."

"She looked at me, and I knew as soon as I saw her expression that she was hurting -emotionally. I didn't know what was wrong or what was going on and I barely knew her at all, but I wanted her to feel better. She tried to cover it up, but I had seen her face. So I told her that it was okay and that she could let herself feel around me. And that was all it took. She started sobbing -awful, body wracking sobs- right on me. We just hugged each other in the middle of the library in the middle of a period."

"She never told me what had been wrong, so I just didn't ask. I know that I absolutely hated it when people asked questions about me, so I just kept quiet. She finally stopped crying after like 20 minutes and she apologized for soaking my shirt and I told her that it was fine. And then we just went to the rest of the classes and she never brought it up after that."

Everyone is silent after I finish. Tori finally says something. "I was wondering what you guys were doing when you came into my class in the middle of the hour. I saw her red eyes so I didn't ask."

Johanna keeps nodding her head through the entire thing. "So what are you going to do to help Tris?" Zeke asks her.

"We are going to do the best we can to find out who did this to Tris. We will start the investigation and interview Tris as soon as she wakes up and is well enough to tell us what happened to her,"she replies, still unsympathetic.

I don't understand how she can shut off her emotions like that, like everything awful and horrific thing happening to someone else doesn't matter. I don't even care anymore. I just want her to leave and find out what happened to Tris. "What are you going to investigate?"I ask.

"We are going to search through the foster home first, since it seems like Tris spends a great amount of her time there. We'll see what kind of evidence we can get there to help build a case and then we are going to interview everyone living there and Tris's team mates to see if they noticed anything strange. Hopefully that will get us somewhere and help us build a solid case." We all nod our heads.

"Tori, please contact me the moment that Tris wakes up, not a second later,"she hands Tori a business card. "Thank you so much, you were all very helpful. We are going to go ahead and get the investigation started. I'm heading to the foster home right now to see what we can find."

"Will you tell us if you find anything?" I ask. "It depends on the degree of importance and the impact it may have on the case." I nod and she walks out of the waiting room, leaving us alone.

I get up and start pacing once again. And once I start, I immediately start panicking about Tris again. What if Tris doesn't wake up? What if she does, but she doesn't remember anything? What if she blames me? What if she won't tell us what happened to her? What if- Before I can worry too much more, an Asian looking doctor comes into the room holding a clipboard.

He comes to a stop right next to us. "Are you all with Beatrice Prior?"he asks. We nod in unison. "

It looks like Beatrice has been severely damaged, mostly on her upper back and shoulders. In all, we had to give her 57 stitches, most of them on the worst one that ruptured. She lost a lot of blood and will probably be dizzy for a few days. She is very lucky that you brought her here in time."

That sentence says it all. She is okay. She's going to be fine. We got her here in time. It's going to be hard for her, but she's okay. " It could have been even more serious. She is awake, but disoriented. She can take visitors one at a time."

And with that, he walks away.

"Four, you can go first. You obviously are the most distraught,"Zeke tells me. I don't argue, just head to Tris's room and hope for the best.

**Tris's** **pov**

I wake up disoriented.

Where am I? My walls of my bedroom are dark blue and covered with posters, quite a contrast from these stark white walls. The lights are too bright so I take a few minutes to let my eyes adjust. There is an insistent beeping to my left, but I can't pin point the sound and find the culprit.

And then it hits me. I must be in the hospital. It is the only logical explanation considering the white walls, blinding lights, and loud, continuous beeping.

I have a good guess about why I am here. I'm almost positive that a cut opened up in my sleep last night and most likely started bleeding. A lot. I probably passed out from the loss of blood. At least it was in my sleep and I was already in my bed and comfortable.

My back hurts. Not sharp,shooting pains. It is more like, dull, throbbing, aching pains. It's different from how it was before. A little better and a whole lot weirder. I can't pinpoint why it feels like this.

But how did I get here? Who brought me? Why would someone come into my room to find me unconscious anyways? Just as I think that last though, I hear footsteps coming down the hall and they are getting louder, coming towards where I am.

I almost turn around and pretend to be asleep, but my curiosity gets the better of me. I really want to know who it is. Plus it would be too hard to turn around with my back the way it is.

And right then, the door opens to reveal a concerned looking Four. When he sees that I am awake, his face breaks out it a huge smile. Like, I'm afraid his face is going to shatter from stretching so much.

"You're awake,"he say, still smiling. I've never seen him smile very much and definitely not like this.

"I guess so. What happened?" He looks taken aback. I don't think he expected me to not remember anything from after the party last night after I cleaned up.

"Do you remember anything at all from last night?" I nod slightly. "Tell me all you remember."

So I do. "I remember the entire party. And that dude that tried to grab me and you saving me. And us talking upstairs and running away from you because I didn't want to answer your question. I remember Zeke asking me to play a game and then I left after, umm... something happened."

He interrupts me. "I know about what happened between you and Zeke. He told Tori and I. We rushed to your house and found you in bed, so we were going to wake you up and confront you about the blood from the party that ended up on Zeke's hand, but you didn't wake up." He looks back at me, his eyes holding an emotion that I can't seem to decipher.

He continues. "We tried a couple more times, but it still didn't work, so I checked your pulse and it was barely even there. Your breathing was so shallow that I don't see how you were even getting any oxygen. And you were pale. So so pale, so I tore the covers off of you and that's when I saw all the blood. It soaked through your shirt and it was sticking to you. It was still oozing out so I had to find where it was coming from."

"Believe me Tris, tearing that shirt from your back was one of the hardest things I've ever done. It was stuck inside all of your wounds. I knew that it didn't hurt since you weren't conscious, but it still felt like I was hurting you. After I pulled it away from your back, we saw the wounds and rushed you here. You never woke up, not once. You lost too much blood. I really thought you were going to die." He lets his head hang and doesn't say anything else.

I look at his face and then do a double take. Then another one. If I didn't know any better, I would say that he had tears in his eyes. We let the silence wash over us.

Then he speaks again. "Do you remember anything else?"

I nod. "I remember getting Christina's keys and Zeke trying to stop me from leaving but still going anyways. It gets a little fuzzy around the drive home. I remember taking a shower and throwing away Christina's dress. That's it. I pretty much remember the entire night." I pause.

"And I'm really sorry you had to see that. I never wanted anyone to see them. Thank you so much for saving me. I'm sure that I would be a lot worse if you guys hadn't brought me...speaking of a lot worse, why does my back feel so weird? What did they do?"

He seems hesitant, but eventually tells me. "Tris, they gave you 57 stitches. Some of them that weren't as bad, so they didn't need them, but some others were really deep. And don't ever apologize for something you can't control. I'm glad I saw them. I'm not saying I liked seeing them, but if I hadn't, I would have never known. You could have died."

I nod, but he isn't finished. "Why didn't you tell anyone? Why didn't you tell me? I could have done something. You didn't have to go through that alone. You shouldn't have had to go through it at all. What even happened? Who did this to you?"

He keeps asking questions that I can't answer. Even if I did answer them, it wouldn't help. I still live with Peter. The only way I can change that is to go to a different foster home.

I don't want to do that. I can't leave Christina or track or my other friends. I have people here that actually care about me. I've never had that in a foster home before.

But most of all, I can't leave Four. Not now. Not ever. I can't get him involved in this. I can't drag him into my problems.

"No one." He looks at me mournfully.

"Please tell me. I can help you. You just have to want to be helped."

And suddenly, all at once, I am furious. All the anger I have ever felt comes crashing into me. I want to break everything, destroy everything in my path. That might be a problem since I can't get up with my back the way it is.

So I yell at Four instead. "Do you think I like this? Do you think I like to be in pain for every waking moment? I can barely take a fucking step without grinding my teeth and wincing. I hate that he does this to me and I sincerely hope that he goes to Hell, where he belongs." I pause and take a breathe, but I am not done.

"It isn't my fault. I never did anything for him to hate me! He's just a fucking bastard that thinks he is superior to me and that I deserve to be beat like I'm nothing. I can't get away from him. I want this to stop, don't you ever think that I don't. I just don't fucking know how to make it stop." **(A/N.** **Get** **it?** **Make** **it** **Stop?** **Haha**:) **It ****is the name of this fanfic!)**

I didn't realize that I was screaming at him at the top of my lungs. I have tears running rampant down my face but I don't feel them.

He looks at me, shocked. "You said he and him. Some guy did this to you. Why can't you get away from him? You could have just stayed at the house."

What he doesn't know is that the person doing this to me lives with us. "That wouldn't have done anything. Staying at home wouldn't have protected me."

"And why the hell not?" He sounds almost as angry as me.

I still have a little anger left over and I throw the rest of it into this. "Because he's there too! I can't get away from him. He's always fucking there!"

I can't tell if it was Four or me that gasped. That wasn't supposed to come out. I didn't mean to practically hand him the name on a shiny platter and say, 'Here you go! It was Peter!'

"He lives with us?" Four is still wrapping his head around what I accidentally said and what it implies. "That bastard! Peter did this, didn't he?" I stay silent. There is nothing I can do anymore. It is out of my hands.

"I've always known he was hostile towards you by the way he looked at you, but I had no idea he would act on it. I going to kill him. God dammit! How did I not know about this?" He looks back at me.

He looks like he wants to punch something. "You should have come to me. I would have protected you. You can trust me with anything, especially something like that. That fucking bastard!" He is yelling almost as loud as I was a minute ago and his face is blood red.

I've never thought of Four as scary, but right now I can see why a lot of other people do.

"I'm sorry,"I tell him.

"I want you to tell me everything he has done to you. And Tori too. I'm going to go get her. You can trust her too."

He leaves the room and quickly comes back with Tori in hold. She immediately comes over to me and kisses my forehead like a mom. It makes me think of my mom. A fresh pang of sadness go through me at the thought that she isn't with me right now. Tori kind of reminds me of her. She would be a great mom.

"Sweetheart, I need you to tell us everything. Don't leave anything out. We are going to help you."

I nod. "Can you help me sit up?" I feel weird laying down and I can't get up by myself.

Four rushes to my other side and puts one hand around my shoulders where the wounds are scarce and the other arm under my legs. He lifts me carefully, like a porcelain doll. Like I might break at any moment. I get the feeling that I might.

It hurts and my back is intensely throbbing afterward. But at least I'm sitting up. I take a deep breath and begin the painful story that I never wanted to relive. "The night I got here, Peter came into my room and started punching me. Everywhere he could reach. He didn't have a reason to. I had only seen him once and I didn't even say a word to him. I had bruises all over me, mostly on my ribs."

Recognition flashes in Four's eyes. "I saw them when you took off your hoodie to run in gym. I should have known. At the very least, I should have said something to you about them."

"It doesn't matter anymore."

"Anything involving you always matters to me. Keep going with your story please."

I don't have time to process that and think about how sweet it was and what it might mean. I keep telling my story. "The next morning, he grabbed my wrist and left a bruise there. I really thought he was going to break my bone. On Wednesday after school, he came into my room and took off his belt."

My voice breaks and Four speaks up, his face full of fire. "What do you mean he took his belt off? What did he do? Did he... touch you?"

"Oh, God no. I'm sorry, I didn't think about how that sounded. He told me to take my shirt off and turn around, so I did.

"You aren't making it sound any better."

I ignore the comment and continue. "I couldn't really argue with him. I didn't know what he was capable of. I still don't."

I keep going, just ready to be done. "Anyways, he took his belt and started whipping my back with it. He told me not to make a sound. I tried, I really did, but I couldn't stay silent. It was so excruciating. I accidentally made a noise and he only made it worse. I don't know how long it went on for more how many times he whipped me. I was on the ground, in my own blood, but he didn't stop. After he was finally done, he just told me to clean up the mess I made and left."

"The next day, Christina touched my back and it hurt so bad. I winced and I didn't want anyone to ask any questions, so I left and went to the library. That's when I then proceeded to cry like a baby in Four's arms." I'm still embarrassed about it.

"And then at Zeke's party, some guy tried to grab me and he dug his nails into my back. I opened up one of the cuts. One of the worst ones. Four saved me and we talked upstairs. Zeke to get me to play a game and touched my back and got blood all over his hand. It was seeping out of my dress. I left after that even though Zeke tried stop me and help me. I couldn't tell anyone about it. I couldn't suck anyone into it. I don't really remember the drive home last night. I just remember taking a shower, throwing away Christina's dress, and then going to sleep. I woke up here."

Tori and Four are now both openly on the verge if tears. "I want to thank you guys. It could have been a lot worse if you hadn't brought me to the hospital. I could have died, but you saved me. I owe you my life." I need them to know how much I appreciate what they did for me.

"We're just happy you're alive. We were so scared," Tori says. I try smiling at her, but I comes out as more of a grimace. "Oh! I need to call Johanna and tell her that you woke up." She walks out of the room with her phone and a business card in hand.

Four looks at me. "Never think that you can't come to me. No matter what it is. I care about you and I will always do everything that I can to help. You shouldn't have had to handle that alone. Hell, you shouldn't have had to handle that at all. Please, just let me in."

"I couldn't get you involved. Something could have happened to you; I don't know what Peter is capable of. I just didn't want anyone to get hurt. Especially not you."

I didn't realize how that sounded until I said it. I didn't mean to actually say what I was thinking, but that doesn't make it any less true. I didn't want to put him in danger. I can't bear to think of Four hurt. He must realize that I mean it to because he grabs my hand.

I try not to get too excited. He was probably just worried about me. He doesn't really like me. He couldn't like me. Even though I know he is probably only trying to make me feel better, I grip his hand with all my strength, afraid of what will happen when I let go. We will lose this moment. I just want to live in it forever.

We don't speak, just let the feelings wash over us.

Tori comes back a few minutes later with a blank expression. She face me and starts talking. "That was Johanna Reyes, your case worker. She went to you house to investigate. I didn't tell her anything that you said, but she wants to interview you. They found something at your house."

"What was it?"I ask.

"They found a bloody belt in the back of Peter's closet. They are going to try to match your blood and his fingerprints for evidence. She said it wouldn't be too hard to match it to you. It has your blood and skin all over it. It's going to be okay. He's going to go to jail and you will never have to see his face again."

"That bastard. He kept it like a trophy," Four mumbles to himself. I look at Four and he squeezes my hand harder.

"It's all going to be okay now,Tris." I squeeze back.

"I know." I really hope we are right.

* * *

**Thank you all for reading this fanfic. It means a lot to me that people actually read it.**

**Thanks so to the reviewer who told me that I could be an actual writer. It's my dream job, even though I am only fourteen. It made me feel like my dream isn't pointless.**

**Thank you so much melC92 for everything. A lot of the ideas in this chapter and in the next one are yours. I couldn't have written this without you.**

**This chapter is over five thousand words so WOOHOO! I love long chapters:)**

**This is really important to me and I hope it is to y'all to. **

**I would also like to thank the reviewers who told me that they cried on the last chapter. That was the best thing to ever hear.**

**Keep reading this story! Sorry it took so long to update, I'm busy!**

**Read on and stay classy:)**

**Love, Ty:) **


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter** **Twelve**

**Tori's** **pov**

After I get off the phone and am done talking to Tris, I go to the waiting room to think and let Four have some alone time with Tris. They obviously need it.

Now that I know that Peter is the one who caused Tris all of that pain, who abused her, who is the reason she almost bled to death in her own bed, I refuse to let Tris go back there, to live there anymore.

There is only one thing to do. I call Johanna. I dial her number from the business card she gave me. She picks up on the second ring.

"Johanna Reyes. How can I help you,"she asks in a monotone voice. She has obviously done this countless times before. Maybe if she is going be a case worker and deal with sad cases, she should show at least a little bit of emotion.

I don't sugarcoat what I am about to ask her; there is no point. I know what I need to do and I will not rest until I make it happen. "Hello. This is Tori Wu. I want to adopt Beatrice Prior."

"Oh! Well, you aren't one for subtleties, are you?"

"She needs to be out of that house. Even if Peter is arrested, she will always be reminded of what happened there. She can't get over something like this; it's practically mentally impossible. Me adopting her will help her move away from all of that and eventually begin to get better. She needs to get away for her to be able to heal."

"That actually sounds very reasonable. I'll see what I can do. I think that Beatrice will thrive in your care. It is blatantly obvious that you care about her. Otherwise, you wouldn't have saved her by bringing her to the hospital and asking to adopt her."

"Thank you so much. I also need another thing,"I say, hoping she will let me have my way.

"Yes?"

"I would also like to adopt Four Eaton."

"Oh, you mean Tobias? The one at hospital with you?"

It is so weird to hear his real name. I've never heard it before. He did such a great job at keeping it hidden from everyone. I never asked what his real name was before because I always figured that he was trying to keep his past separate from his present, which absolutely makes sense considering his hell of a life from before.

"Yes. He has been through similar experiences as Beatrice and I feel that he could help her improve more rapidly." I'm trying to sound smarter than I actually am so that she will think I am professional. I think I'm doing a pretty damn good job, if I do say so myself.

"I'll also look into that and see what I can do. You are aware that adopting two teenagers at one time can be immensely hectic. It may cost quite a bit of money,"she sounds bored.

"That won't be a problem,"I quickly assure her. I have plenty of emergency money in savings. I'm pretty sure that this counts as an emergency.

"Have you gotten Peter in custody yet? Is he going to jail for abuse?" I just want that bastard to be locked up for what he did to Tris.

"Um... I can't say that we have. We actually haven't caught Peter yet. We are in the process of a full blown search party, but someone seems to have tipped him off that Beatrice was in the hospital and he must have gotten scared. No one has seen him since he went to sleep last night."

Oh shit. Peter is missing. Tris and Four are going to go ballistic. I don't want to tell them, but at the same time, I want them to be fully aware of the situation that we are facing. I need them to be safe. And they will be, with me.

"Then I need Tris and Four now. As soon as she is well enough to leave the hospital. I have to protect her. If Peter comes back for her, the first place he is going to look is at Max's. She can't stay there. I can keep them at my house while the adoptions are being legalized."

I just want for them to be safe and not have to worry anymore. They should just be normal teenagers for once. Instead, their childhoods were torn away from them when Tris's parents and brother died and when Four's father decided to abuse his only son.

"That sounds like a great plan. I will immediately permit you to have temporary custody of Beatrice and Tobias. Just until the adoption is final."

I'm so glad that I can protect them. They will be safe with me. "Thank you so much Johanna. Please update me with anything involving the case and make sure I know anything about Peter."

"I will be sure to do that,"and with that, she hangs up.

Everything is going to be okay. They are going to be okay. Tris is going to be safe.

I go into Tris's hospital room to see Four and Tris still holding hands like before, but they aren't speaking. They are just starting at each other. They totally like each other. Maybe they just don't know it yet.

I knock on the door to make my presence known. They immediately break from their trance and look at me, but I note that they still don't break the hold on each other's hand. They are using each other as life lines right now. They need each other. I know I am making th right choice of adopting them both.

I need to tell them the news. Hopefully, they will be just as excited as I am when I tell them about it. And hopefully the news of Peter is forgotten when I tell them about the adoption.

"Hey you guys. I have some news. Do you want the bad news or good news first?"

Tris and Four look at me hesitantly, afraid of what I might say.

Four answers first. "Bad news." Tris nods her head in agreement.

I really don't want to tell either one of them this, but they need to know. They need to be aware and prepared for what they are up against. I have to tell them now, or I will lose my courage.

"They never found Peter. They are searching for him, but they think that someone must have tipped him off that they were coming to arrest him. He could be anywhere."

Tris's eyes are full of trepidation. They are instantly glassy from the tears she is holding back in them. She won't let herself cry. I've always known she was strong, but in this very moment, she is the strongest person I've ever seen. I would be screaming by now, but all she is doing is forcing herself not to cry. I know how much strength that must take.

Four's expression is mixed. He looks scared, concerned, and angry all at the same time. I don't blame him. We just saved Tris's life and now it is in danger again. I know that he is thinking of what Peter would do to Tris if he came back and found her.

I look to their intertwined hands and see that they are both white. I'm not sure who is squeezing the hardest, but I can tell the tightness is a collaboration. They are both terrified.

"I don't want to even think about that right now. What's the good news? I need some good right about now,"Tris says quickly, spitting out her words before she chokes back a sob.

"The good news is that I am going to keep you safe. Both of you."

Four looks confused. "And how exactly do you plan to do that?"

"Well, I just got off the phone with Johanna and she helped me out a bit. And by a bit, I mean a lot." I pause for dramatic affect. "I am going to adopt you both. It's all set. As soon as Tris is released from the hospital, we will go to Max's to get your things and then move into my house. It isn't as big, but we will all fit comfortably. Just the four of us."

**Tris's** **pov**

"Well, I just got off the phone with Johanna and she helped me out a bit. And by a bit, I mean a lot. I am going to adopt both of you. It's all set. As soon as Tris is released from the hospital, we will go to Max's to get your things and then move into my house. It isn't as big, but we will all fit comfortably. Just the four of us.

I can't believe what I just heard. I completely put everything I just heard about Peter and throw it into the back of my mind. I am completely astounded by Tori's announcement. She's going to adopt us. Both of us?

"Like, your going to be our adoptive mother? We are going to live with you?" I ask. I still can't wrap my head around the concept.

"That's right sweetheart,"she says in reply.

I smiles and then finally break down crying. I didn't cry when she told me that Peter was on the loose, that he could be anywhere, doing anything. But I cry now.

This is too much. I never expected to be a part of a home again. To have someone actually take care of me, to act like a mom towards me. I thought I had lost that forever in that damn car accident. But here it is- a caring family- being handed to me at the time when I need it the most. This is worth so much to me.

Four takes a hold of me and strongly holds brings me to him, still somehow avoiding my injuries. I have no idea how he does that.

He always strangely knows exactly where to put his arms around me. Exactly where the wounds are the worst and where it is okay to touch. I am so thankful for that now. I need someone to hold me.

"Shh. It's okay. We're going to be okay. You're finally going to be safe,"he says and kisses my forehead. I don't think too much about it. I honestly don't have the energy.

Tori and Four let me cry myself out. It must be at least thirty minutes later when my tears are dried up and I can finally form a coherrent sentence.

Four hasn't stopped holding me and whispering soothing things into my ear.

I look to Tori. "Thank you. So much. I can't even express how grateful I am."

She smiles. "It's my pleasure. The both of you are going to be great additions to the family."

Four asks the question I had been wanting to ask first. "What family? I thought it was just you. Why haven't I ever met him?"

"You have, you just didn't know that he was my husband. I live with my husband Bud. The one who did Zeke's tattoo at the shop this morning."

I look at him, confused. "You got a tattoo? This morning? And saved my life? You're like Superman."

He lets out a laugh at that. "Man, I wish I was as cool as Superman."

I laugh and then turn semi-serious. "Can I see it?"

"My tattoo?"

"Yeah. I want to see it," I affirm him.

He stands up right beside me, sadly letting go of me. I can't help but feel a sudden coldness with his arms no longer around me, and I find myself really missing the warmth that he brings to me. He grabs the bottom of his shirt and pulls it up to reveal a large tattoo of flames on his entire side.

It's beautiful. Especially on his toned body. Now that his shirt is pulled up, I can see that he has rock hard abs, but not the gross kind that make you want to give the person food and strap them down to a chair to make them stop exercising.

He has a dark trail of hair leading downwards... I turn red at even thinking about it. He's beautiful, even better than the tattoo. But the tattoo is pretty amazing too.

"I want one," I very seriously tell Tori. And I am not lying; I really do want a tattoo.

She smiles widely."Come by my shop an I'll give you one, FOR FREE! You know, since I'm the one that's going to start having to give you money anyways."

I just smile. I couldn't think of a better person to adopt Four and I. I am honored that she would even want to.

I look back to Four. "Can I touch it?" I ask hesitantly.

"I just got it this morning, so it's fresh. But of course you can touch it."

I gently bring my hand up to his side and slowly run my hand down the length of it. My hand is tingling everywhere it is making contact with his skin. It's weird, but I find myself thinking that I could get used to it. His skin flutters beneath my touch, and he sucks in a breath quickly.

I immediately take my hand away, afraid that I might have hurt him. If the tattoo is still fresh, then it might still be tender. I wouldn't know;I've never had a tattoo before. Hopefully that will change in the near future. "Did I hurt you? I'm sorry,"I quickly apologize.

"It didn't hurt." He smiles, but there is something else behind his eyes. I can't quite figure it out, no matter how hard I try.

I touch my hand back to his side, slowly tracing the outline of the flames. They fit him well, like they were meant to be there somehow. His breathing is picking up with each passing second of me touching him, but I can't tell why. I really that wish I knew.

After I've traced every part of the tattoo and can't find an excuse to touch it any more, I take my hand down. It is still tingling. Sadly, Four puts his shirt back over his body and once again takes the seat next to me.

I notice that he grabs my hand again and the tingles are back, but I try not to think of how he makes me feel. I know that he is trying to comfort me and that he doesn't like me.

He would never want someone so damaged, and I'm sure that he isn't even remotely attracted to me. He's virtually perfect. When I look at him, it's like I'm practically staring at a Greek god.

I'm sure that when he looks at me, he mistakes me for a short piece spaghetti. I'm too small; too skinny, too short. My hair is an indistinct color that I'm sure at least a fourth of the blondes on this planet have. The only things remarkable about me are my my eyes. Their color is gray and blue mixed together, but they look like they weren't fully mixed together, so they look like a marble pattern.

I stop dwelling on my lack of good looks and ask Tori, "So when can I get out of here?"

"Whenever you feel strong enough to leave. Johanna was going to interrogate you here, but I told her to wait until you got a little better."

"Thank you. And I'm definitely ready to leave. I hate this place."

"I'll go get a nurse and see how soon we can get you released," she says and walks out of the room before I can even tell her thank you.

Her leaving leaves Four and me alone. He looks at me and asks, "How are you feeling? And don't be noble about it, I want the real answer. Don't hold back."

"I could be better," I joke weakly. He doesn't laugh; he wants the real answer. "My back hurts when I move, but it isn't like it hasn't been like that for the past few days. I'm better now that I know Tori is adopting us." He squeezes my hand.

"You shouldn't have had to deal with that. I'm so sorry that you didn't feel like you could come to me. I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you even when you didn't ask. I should have known something was wrong with you from the day I saw the bruises."

"You couldn't have known. Don't you dare blame yourself for this, you had nothing to do with it." I reply strongly "And I did turn to you, you just didn't know. In the library, that helped me so much. I needed to let some steam off."

"You shouldn't ever have to go through pain."

"I'm used to it." I whisper to myself, thinking of Eric once again. Of what he did to me, over and over and over again.

"What do you mean? How are you used to it?"

I hadn't meant for him to hear that. I was saying it to myself. He is asking questions that I can't answer, not yet. "Nevermind that."

"No, not never mind that. What do you mean?" He's going to go crazy not knowing. And for a second, I think about telling him, right here, right now.

But I quickly decide against it. "I can't tell you. Just leave it alone."

"You should never be used to being hurt. You don't deserve that. No one does, but especially not you. You deserve so much better than that. You deserve to be loved and cherished every second of everyday." He says it so strongly that I find myself actually believing it. I don't think about how he said it like he was going to make sure that it happened someday.

"Thank you. No one has ever said that to me. You deserve a lot better too."

He shakes his head but doesn't say anything else about what I said.

Tori walks back in a few minutes later. "Are you ready? I sent Zeke home to pick you up some clothes earlier. He said that he thought you would like these." She hands me some clothes but I don't look at them yet. I'm trying to hold off on looking at what Zeke must have picked up for me and how stutty it probably is.

"Can you help me up?"I ask Four.

He doesn't say anything, just brings one arm to my lower back and one under my knees. He pick me up and puts me back on the ground gently, but he doesn't let go of me yet.

I start trying to walk to the bathroom that is attached to my room, but my knees buckle under me. I almost fall flat on my face, but Four is still holding on to me strongly. I have full confidence that I'm not going to fall, not with him making sure that I don't.

My legs finally start working with me and start moving. I walk towards the bathroom with Four helping me the entire way. When I get there, I realize that I have a completely different problem.

I look at Tori, who is still watching us, smiling. "Can you help me get dressed? I'm afraid to rip out my stitches out or something,"I ask her timidly. I feel so helpless and incompetent, but that doesn't mean I don't need her help.

"Of course. They're covered, but you still have to be careful about stretching them and them popping apart." I must make a face because she laughs and reassures me that it would be pretty difficult to make that happen.

We both walk into the bathroom and she locks the door behind herself.

I start to take my hospital gown off, but it hurts too much. It feels like my back is pulling itself apart. I look at Tori hopelessly, but she only smiles and unties the back. Well, now I feel stupid.

I quickly pull it of my shoulders and look at what Zeke picked out for me. What I expected to be slutty isn't slutty at all. He got me the pair of skinny jeans that I wear almost all the time. He must have seen how worn out they are and known that they are my favorite pair.

I quickly put them on, which is pretty easy since I didn't have to stretch, and look at the shirt he picked out. And once again, I am pleasantly surprised. He got me a big blue t-shirt. I wear it to sleep all the time. It is literally the most comfortable thing I own. It's so soft that I feel like I am sleeping in marshmallows.

I'm going to have to start getting Zeke to pick out my clothes all of the time.

Tori takes the shirt and gently brings it over my head. I put my arms through and am instantly enveloped in marshmallow. As much as I feel helpless with Tori putting my clothes on me, I appreciate it so much.

"Thank you so much. For everything."

She smiles and I walk out the door. I immediately run into Four. I wasn't looking at where I was going and it seems that he was waiting right outside of the door the entire time.

I lose my balance but he grabs me before I can fall and stands me back up again.

"Careful, Tris."

I smile. "Are you both ready? We have to go by Max's to get you things. Right now is the safest time to go since Peter wouldn't be there already. We need to go now, before it's too late and dangerous,"Tori says.

I am technically required to leave the hospital in a wheel chair, so as soon as the nurse catches sight of us trying to leave without one, she quickly rolls one down the hallway and parks it in front of me.

I try arguing, but quickly see that it is useless. I carefully sit in it and let Four roll me down the hallways and out of the hospital. As soon as we are out the door, I push myself out of the wheel chair.

Four grabs my hand once again and we follow Tori to the car. She parked it while they were in the waiting room; she couldn't just leave it at the entrance.

As we are getting into the car, I expect Four to sit in the front on the passenger side, but he comes to sit right next to me after helping me in.

Usually, I would feel self conscious about them helping me so much and practically doing everything for me, but I don't know what I would have done without them.I can't act like I am perfectly fine, like I have been doing for days, because we all know that I am not okay. It is going to take a long while for me to ever be okay again. If it is even possible.

Tori speeds off to Max's and we get there in half the time it would usually take. Four didn't let go of my hand the entire ride. I still can't make sense of it, and I probably won't ever be able to.

I go upstairs as silently as I can so that I don't bring myself attention. I want to get in and out of here without having to see it talk to anyone. Especially Christina. I don't think I can handle telling her what Peter did to me. Not yet.

I shut the door to my room and find some overnight bags to put all of my clothes in. I have had them for forever; I never thought they would come in handy like this.

I stuff as much as I can in the bags: clothes, shoes, and pictures of my family. I grab my little makeup bag, my toothbrush, and the hair brush that I brought here with me and quickly make my way back to Four's car. Tori and Four are already waiting on me in the car.

I gently sit down in the back and Four instantly grabs hand gently and rubs his thumb over the top soothingly. I still can't manage to figure out why he is doing that. Not that I don't like it, it makes me feel wanted. But it doesn't make sense for someone who doesn't want me to hold my hand and be there for me.

Tori drives for about ten minutes, taking winding roads and sharp turn and finally pulls up at a cute brick house. It is nothing like Max's. It is probably half the size, but that is still pretty big.

The yard is amazing, with trees everywhere. Just how I like it. There is a garden surrounding the entire house. This is such a change from Max's, and I absolutely love it.

Tori looks at us smiling. "Were here."

"It's beautiful," I tell her, still in awe of the yard.

"Thank you. Let's go inside, and I can show you both to your rooms. Well, mostly Tris." I can hear the excitement in her voice. I would ask why Four doesn't need to be shown to his room, but I don't want to invade anyone's privacy.

I'm so thankful that it is Tori adopting us. I can tell that she really wants us here, unlike Max who barely said two words to me the entire time that I was living there. She acts like such a mom anyways. I kind of thought she already had kids since she was always so motherly towards Four and I. I guess it is just natural for her.

She walks us into the house. The door opens up to the living room, which is absolutely beautiful. It isn't anything extra fancy, but the atmosphere of it just makes you feel like you are right at home. And I have the feeling that I really am.

The couches are fabric and have pretty designs on them. The walls are a light blue that make you think that you are looking at the sky. It's actually really relaxing. There is a flat screen tv, but it isn't so big that it takes up half the wall.

She shows us the kitchen, which is fully updated, two bathrooms, and her bedroom, which was the most gorgeous room I have ever seen in my life. This entire place is perfect.

Four is walking with is during the tour, but I get the feeling that he already knows his way around.

Four leads himself to a room that must be his bedroom. I find myself wondering how he knows where it is.

It's pretty large and has blue walls that are the color of his eyes. I bet that is why Tori picked this room for him. There is a queen size bed in it with a black comforter. She must have modeled this room after him or something.

"You haven't changed a thing in here since last time, Tor," he says, smiling at her.

He must see the confusion on my face. "I stay here sometimes. Just when I need to get away from it all. Speaking of which," he addresses Tori. "How have I been here so many times and never seen Bud here? Where is he anyways?"

"He works two jobs, so he usually gets in really late. He leaves early in the morning to get the shop ready. You come and go without seeing him. I just never thought to tell you that Bud was my husband and lives here with me."

He shrugs in response and Tori brings me to my room. It is slightly larger than Four's and is totally different. The walls are white and so is the bed.

There is a bookshelf full of books, but there are still a couple is shelves empty. I'm assuming that they are for pictures and other things.

There is a freaking awesome papasan chair in the corner, which is also white. I'm so confused. Why is everything white? And why do I like it so much?

I look at Tori and she explains. "I got Bud to do this while you were in the hospital. I figured you would want a fresh start."

I get tears in my eyes. I am overly emotional, but I can't believe that she did all this just for me.

"I love it. Thank you so much." I go and give her like a five minute hug and she returns it with equal enthusiasm, still avoiding my injuries.

"Anytime sweetheart."

I wipe the tears out of my eyes and step into my room. It's beautiful. The bed comforter is textured, so it adds extra to the room. The bookshelf is beautifully built. The closet is giant, way to big for the little amount of things that I have to put in there.

I set down the things on the floor beside my bed. Tori and Four shut the door and walk away, letting me have some privacy. I would unpack, but I'm just too tired. I didn't get any rest besides the medically induced kind at the hospital, and that didn't help at all.

I lay on my bed and pull the blanket that was on the foot of the bed over my body. I quickly fall into a deep sleep, this time with no nightmares.

* * *

I wake up disoriented. I look around and it finally clicks in my head that this is Tori's house. And my house now, I guess. It's dark outside, so I guess I slept for a while. I feel so well rested.

Just as I am about to get up, I hear a gentle knock on the door.

"Come in,"I tell whoever it is.

Tori pokes her head in the room, still smiling. She hasn't stopped smiling since we got here. I like it.

"Four and I are going to go pick up some food. Do you want us to pick you up some, or do you to come with us?"

"I'm not very hungry. I'm just stay here, maybe unpack my bags,"I respond.

"Are you sure? You need to eat something. You probably need to get some of your strength back," she tells me worriedly.

"I'm sure. Thank you though," I say, smiling as largely as her.

"Okay... Well, we are going to be back in maybe twenty minutes, Maybe less. I'll lock the door on our way out."

"I'll be safe, don't worry."

She leaves my room with yet another smile. A few minutes later, I here the front door close and the lock click. I better get to work.

I grab my bags and go to get some hangers out of the closet. Just as I am heading back to where my clothes are on my bed, I hear the door creek open.

I don't think anything of it, but a few moments later, it happens again. And again a little while after that. On the fourth time, I see a boot.

"Who are you?" I scream at them.

And in walks my worst nightmare. Someone I never wanted to see again unless it was in the obituaries.

A very dangerous looking Peter.

"Hello, Tris. It's so nice to see you again. It was so sweet of you to sic the police on me. Maybe I should make you pay."

* * *

**Hey guys! Sorry this chapter isn't as good or long as the rest, I was super busy and didn't have much write it.**

** I am also immensely sorry that it took me so long update. Whenever I tried to load this chapter, it just sent me to that stupid email page.**

**I'll take my time writing this next chapter. Hopefully I will have another chapter up by the end of the week.**

**Thank you for all of your reviews. They mean so much to me.**

**Another special thank you to melC92 for ideas and for calming me down. I hadn't even started writing this chapter and was going into full freak out mode. You saved me from a major breakdown.**

**Continue reading this story FOREVER!**

**Read on and stay classy:)**

**Ty:)**


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